1000 Words
by Tsubame Gaeshi
Summary: The sequel to ICBG and also the continuation of Behind the Smile. The only way to bring the old Tezuka back is through the heart. A straight fic. Best to read Behind the Smile first. Ah, and OC. You have been warned!
1. The Thousand Words

Disclaimer : The story is definitely my idea, but the characters are not mine, except for Yuko, and if I intend to add anyone else, that'll be it too. Besides that, the song '1000 Words' and 'Real Emotion' is not mine, but it comes from the new Final Fantasy game, the sequel to FF X, FFX-2. It's sung by Kouda Kumi, and if you are interested in the songs, just download it, it's not mine. I reccommend it highly, tho...^-^!

Hmm..hello minna-san~! I can't believe there are still ppl reading this sequel...hehehe...it's really funny...as in, strange. 

Jen-chan nono...i mean as in this pic i saw...go to and take the quiz there, putting the fourth choice as the answer for all the questions..then you'll get Tezuka as the result, and look at the pendant he's wearing..it's the one i'm talking about...^-^

Minna-san This story is now focusing more on Tezuka, and that's why I made it as a different story.

Now, onto the story..

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Tezuka no longer saw that girl anymore after the performance. After a long while, the memory of her in Tezuka's mind faded off. Even though he got good results in his exams, he often went to the pub. It made not only the Tezuka family worried, but also Oishi began to show signs of worry. Once again, he wore his shirt inside out, causing Kikumaru to laugh like a madman. This time, Oishi took it as a joke and began to laugh at himself too.

One day, Miyuki decided to call Oishi to try solve Tezuka's problem.

"Oishi, can you come over for dinner today?"asked Miyuki. She really needed to discuss this with her parents and also the mother of Seigaku, who happens to know about how Tezuka has been consuming alot of alchohol. 

"Okay."

"Be here by 7 pm, okay?"

"Hai. Ja, see you later,"Oishi said.

"Ah, bye."

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At 6.55 pm, Oishi arrived at the Tezuka household.

"Ah! You're just in time, Oishi. Mom has finished the cooking, so we may begin eating to discuss about nii-chan's problem later on,"Miyuki said, inviting Oishi into the traditional Japanese house. It looked traditional from the outside, but it was rather normal inside.

After 30 minutes of eating, Miyuki suggested that they talk about Tezuka and see how they could solve his problem.

"Why don't you all force him not to go to the pub?"Oishi suggested.

"No, we can't be too harsh on him. After all, drinking is not an offence,"Ayana[1] said. 

After a few minutes of suggestions, they still hadn't got the right choice yet.

"What about if we get nii-chan somebody to change him?"Miyuki said. Suddenly, Ayana snapped her fingers.

"AH! That's a good idea, Miyuki! There is even a suitable person!" Ayana exclaimed. 

"Who might that be, Mrs.Tezuka?"asked Oishi.

"A girl, Kiritani Yuko."

"But how can we just take her like that, mom? It's not like she would suddenly want to marry nii-chan!"

"But her family had a deal with us. We can take her into our family any time we want."

"But..."

"No buts, Miyuki. This is now settled, I suppose. I hope Yuko can help us solve the little problem of ours. Thanks alot for sitting in, Oishi,"said Ayana, standing up. Oishi thanked Ayana for the dinner before heading for home.

"Okaa-san, do you think this would be the best choice for nii-chan?"

"Yes, I think it would be, for Kunimitsu."

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Since the pub wasn't open on Wednesdays, Tezuka had to stay at home that day since no other pubs would cater for people under the age of 18. He expected his mother was cooking dinner, and made his entrance quietly.

"You back home already, Kunimitsu? I thought you might go to the pub. By the way, can you stay here for dinner? I need to discuss with you some things,"chimed Tezuka's mother from the living room.

"Hai."

"Good, go get a bath and we'll have dinner."

"Hai."

Tezuka quickly bathed. He was starving as he trained not only Seigaku, but himself alot by running laps around the courts, trying to avoid tasting Inui's new creation. It was lime green this time, and called 'Inui's Special Remix, with added Lime'. Even the name itself sounded strange. Poor Ryoma had to drink down that stuff.

He got off the bathtub and quickly got himself dressed. He walked down the stairs and saw Miyuki at the door.

"You having dinner here today? I thought you would be with Fuji."

"Nope, Syusuke's having some quality time with his brother, so I thought I'd leave them alone, since Yuuta is in boarding school[2]."

"Oh, okay then."

"Dinner is ready, both of you!"sang their mother from the dining room. Tezuka's father was still at work but his grandfather was at the dining table.

"Dinner looks delicious, mom,"Tezuka said, complimenting his mother.

"Oh, I didn't cook dinner today. We've got a guest, and she's cooking today. Meet Kiritani-san,"introduced Tezuka's mother. 

Kiritani, or rather Yuko, looked sweet and demure. Tezuka could say that she was an angel. Her brown hair curled out at its ends and her green eyes sparkled at the light. If you still don't get me, think Yuna of Final Fantasy X and X-2. She gave everyone a soft smile.

After the delicious dinner, Ayana insisted on talking to her son. She took him to the living room and gave him a cup of tea.

"Kunimitsu, you've got to be nice to Yuko from now on, okay? I'm counting on you, because I've got her to be your fiancee,"said Ayana to her son. Tezuka almost choked when he heard that.

"Mom, stop fooling around with all these things..."

"But it's true, Kunimitsu. I'm sure, you don't want to sleep in the same room as she will be, so I'll give you time to adjust to it.."

"What? Now you say she's sleeping with me?"

"That's what all lovers do, Kunimitsu."

"But I hardly even know her!"

"My decision is final, Kunimitsu. From now on, she will be your fiancee. You don't need to tell everyone about this. Actually, it's up to you whether you want everyone in this world to know about it, but I'm giving you a choice whether to keep it as a secret or to tell everyone, okay? No buts, ands or ors, okay?"

"Hai, okaa-san.."

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The very next morning, Tezuka could hear someone calling for him. 

"Kunimitsu....hayaku...hayaku!"said a voice.

"Yawn...let me sleep some more.."

"No..don't got back to sleep! Come on...wake up, sleepyhead!"

Tezuka felt someone tapping on his head. He rubbed his eyes, and looked right into Yuko's green eyes. They looked scary if you saw it when you first wake up in the morning.

"Hey, we're gonna be late if you keep on procrastinating like this..."

".....Fine fine...I'll go....why can't I just skip school for a day?"

"No way! It's my first day at Seishun Gakuen, and I don't wanna be late! Hurry, hurry!"

".....hai hai..."

Tezuka quickly got himself dressed to avoid being yelled at by Yuko. He was actually amazed at how he could manage to sleep with a person he hardly knew.[3] 

"This is going to be a long weekend..."

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Hmm...what ya'll think about this sequel? I know...so sudden, and strange, but in the next chapter, it'll be some humorous thing which happens when Tezuka and Miyuki are young...idea from my best friend, E Wah-chan! ^-^! This is actually the result of my 40 minute conversation with her...hehehe...so...have a good day/night(whiever that applies...^-^!)

[1] – For your info, Tezuka's mom's name is Ayana, according to the manga volume 10.5.

[2] – Is Yuuta in boarding school? I heard from many fan fics that it's true, so I'm just adding that, to say how long Fuji has not seen Yuuta.

[3] – Hey hey...it's a king sized bed, for your information. Couldn't expect Tezuka willing to sleep with a girl in a small single sized bed, so I changed the size of his bed for him..^^;;


	2. The Unchangeable Past

Hey again, everyone, for reading this crazy sequel…but before moving on, I've decided to put what my friend E Wah and I said while chatting on the phone. So, this happens when Tezuka and Miyuki were kids. Hope this will tickle your funny bone...^^!

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Tezuka and Miyuki were only very small kids, about 7 years old. At that time, their parents decided that both of them should learn to play at least a sport. Therefore, they decided to learn how to play tennis.

Tennis was a very interesting sport, according to Tezuka. After all, what could he do? It was his parents' choice. Miyuki, on the other hand, got really excited about learning to play tennis.

They went to the local community centre everyday to train how to play better. Miyuki seemed to never run out of enthusiasm and energy, and always couldn't wait to hold her racket. Even though it was just a junior racket, this was just the beginning to pro tennis.

Their coach, Ryuzaki-sensei, was very kind and thought them well. She was patient and very nice to them. If they all played well, she would treat them to ice-cream after tennis. Even though Tezuka was offered ice-cream all the time since he played well, he often turned down Ryuzaki-sensei's offer.

One day, Ryuzak-sensei couldn't turn up for tennis practice, and told the two to play against one another. Since Tezuka was rather tired that day after a long morning of fishing with his dad, he just sat under the tree and took a nap[1]. 

"Nii-chan, let's play a game of tennis!"chirped Miyuki happily. Since she didn't wake up early to go fishing, she was still full of energy.

"No. I'm tired. If you want to play, play tomorrow. We still have many more days to play tennis."

"But...nii-chan.."

"No. Some other day, okay? I'm very tired today."

"Please, nii-chan? Pretty please? Just half an hour?"

"No."

"Fine then~,"Miyuki said, pouting, hoping to get her brother's symphathy.

"Good that you understand how tired I am."

"Grr....nii-chan no...BAKA~!"Miyuki said, throwing a tennis ball at Tezuka. It didn't hit Tezuka, but hit the tree he was leaning on.

The tree shook a little. Some yellow round thing came falling down from the tree.

"Nani o kore, nii-chan?"Miyuki said, taking her tennis racket and nudging the yellow thing. It was oval, and looked like pancake stacked on top of each other.

"Baka!! Miyuki, RUN!"he said to his sister, tugging onto her hand. He was rather shocked to see something falling. Of all of the things to fall down, a yellow bee hive fell onto the ground. Soon, many bees were around Miyuki.

"Nani sore? Nani sore, nii-chan?"Miyuki asked, puzzled, as Tezuka was running for his life, holding onto her hand. 

"It's a BEEHIVE, for god's sake! Don't you know that?"

"No.."

Tezuka was speechless. He was running as fast as a wild stallion, with all the bees chasing them. Soon, Tezuka forgot how tired he was when he was running away from those insects. 

"Why are we running away from bees, nii-chan?"

"Oh, gosh. You don't know that bees STING? And it HURTS? And bees are DANGEROUS!"

"Oh...k.."

Tezuka sighed as he pulled Miyuki, running away from the deadly bees. He could recognize those bees ; the dangerous ones which stings badly. It had those long stingers, ready to sting any intruders. The one leading the whole hive of bees was a larger one, which probably was the queen bee. It was speeding right behind Miyuki. If she was to be injured, he would be blamed for not taking care of his sister. He didn't want to be scolded, and always wanted to maintain a good reputation with his family members. 

"Nii-chan..those bees are getting closer!"said Miyuki frantically, trying to shoo away some bees.

"This is the fastest I can run! If you run along with me, maybe we get to outrun those bees!"

"Okay!"

The both of them ran like mad, as if trying to avoid Inui's creations. They ran as fast as their legs could take them.

"Oh, nii-chan! A dead end!"

"Hmm....hey! Let's jump into the lake!"

"But...but.."

Before Miyuki could react, Tezuka had already plunged into the lake. Miyuki was also pulled into the lake because she was gripping onto her brother's hand.

"Nii-chan! I can't swim!"she said, looking at her brother. 

"Never mind, I'll be holding your hand! Just go underwater for a while!"

"Hai."

Miyuki could hear the bees buzzing above the water. After a while, those bees decided to leave Miyuki and Tezuka alone. After all, bees can't swim, can they?

"Come on, Miyuki, let's get home,"said Tezuka, pulling Miyuki out of the water.

"Nii-chan, are the bees gone?"

"Yes, yes."

"Nii-chan! Today I learnt about bees!"

"You mean you knew NOTHING about bees last time?"

"Nope!"

Tezuka sighed at his sister on their way home. They may change as time passes, but siblings will always stay siblings, as time comes. No matter what, they can never be seperated, or be apart.

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[1] – I had no idea on the coach's name, so I chose Ryuzaki-sensei. After all, she knows how good Tezuka is in tennis, that means she must have met him before, I suppose.

This chapter is just for my humour. Anything else, just post it as a review ^-^!


	3. Another Song

waHmm...hey again!(I always say that..)...Thanks for decided to read this crazy fic! After all the serious stuff in BTS(Behind the Smile), I've decided to put a funny chapter in 1000 Words, which is, the chappie before this. I was laughing and laughing as I discussed this with my fren...it all started when we talked about me going to tuition, so she told me to cycle there. She said hers had...a hornet's nest on it, and she n her cousie were fiddling with it, looking at the hornet's eggs ooze out..then, she heard something buzzing behind her. it was a hornet, i think, and then...she n her cousie ran like mad out to the streets(she left the door open)..and u know where she ended up? the drain...and after a while, the hornet decided to buzz away...hehehe....ROFL...so now, i told her, what if tezuka and his sis were chased by bees last time? nyehehehe...it would be funny if the whole seigaku tennis club ran for their lifes, away from.......a hive of bees. heheh ;) so, back to the serious stuff...k?

DISCLAIMER : The song I add in this whole story is not mine, k? 

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It had been a week since Yuko moved into the Tezuka residence. She was a rather quiet girl, and was very good at cooking. After dinner, she would play piano for everyone in the family(except Tezuka, he goes to the pub everyday) to listen to. Everyone had pretty much gotten used to her presence, and she actually often lit up everyone in the Tezuka family(except for Kunimitsu, he's hardly at home). 

Nevertheless, Miyuki was curious to find out about Yuko's ties with the Tezuka family. So, one day, Miyuki decided to ask Yuko face to face. It was after a long day of swimming practice, and Miyuki was heading home. Since Yuko didn't join any club yet, she went straight home after school.

When Miyuki reached home, she saw Yuko in the garden, not noticing the presence of Miyuki.

"Suteki da ne...futari te wo tori...aru ke ta nara...iki tai yo, kimi no machi...iie, ude no naka....sono mune, kanada azuke, yori ni magire, yumemiru....[1]"she sang while gazing at the tulips at the garden.

"Hey, Yuko. That was a nice song! What's it called?"

"Suteki da ne,"Yuko replied, blushing.

"Hmm, since you like singing, why don't you go for the choir group?"

"Umm...no...I'm not really good at this choir sorta thing.."

"But you do have a good voice! You shouldn't waste it just like that...ah! Why don't you get yourself discovered?"

"Er...when I had a presentation one day, I was spotted by this guy, who happened to be the representative of this recording company, so he asked whether I was interested in having a concert, so I'm gonna have a concert at Tokyo Dome next week."

"Oh, cool! Does anyone else know about this?"

"No...but just get Kunimitsu to come along to see the concert."

"Hai hai~!"

After a while, it suddenly hit Miyuki to ask Yuko another question.

"Yo, Yuko, how did the Kiritani family get involved with the Tezuka's?"

"Well, I'm not really sure myself, but this is what I heard from my parents. The Kiritani family was in debt with the Tezuka family, and had no money to pay the debt. Therefore, they decided to pay, with their only daughter. To sacrifice her to someone else."

"Oh, gosh. I'm so sorry to hear that!"

"No, it's no biggie..."

"Hey....I've sort of....heard of you before."

"I have to, Miyuki-san. Aren't you Yuushi-kun's ex-girlfriend?"

It hit Miyuki hard. She was stun for a few seconds, and soon got back to reality zone.

"How....how'd you know that?"

"Oh, I used to be in Hyotei Gakuen!"

"No wonder your name sounded familiar! Kiritani Yuko of Class 1, right? I've heard alot about you from Keigo!"

"Oh, Keigo-kun.."Yuko said bitterly.

"Hm? Is anything wrong, Yuko?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing!"continued Yuko, now smiling like Syusuke. Nevertheless, Miyuki felt something strange about Yuko's behaviour.

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Miyuki's POV

Oh, gosh. It was so strange today. No one was home, except me and Yuko. Suddenly, I heard someone crying. It was Yuko. Her eyes were all red, and she was curled up like a ball. The calm and quiet girl, Yuko, crying? I rushed to her, and tried to calm her down.

"Hey, Yuko, why are you crying?"

"Ohhh...nothing, nothing!"

"There is something, Yuko. If you're unhappy, don't feel shy to voice it out."

"Miyuki...I guess you won't understand, tho. Thanks for being thoughtful."

"Really, don't feel shy, Yuko."

"I'll tell you, Miyuki, the story of Keigo and I."

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Hey hey...couldn't help but add Keigo in it...^-^! Well, I'll give you some hint about the next chappie. It's a flashback chappie, of course. The connection which also bound Yuko and Keigo is how Keigo actually got her to sing at his pub. Well, it actually begins from how they meet, actually. I just hope to be able to add a lil humour, but I'll try...^-^...well...please don't be shy to voice out what ya think about this chappie as a review or e-mail at tsubamegaeshi_hana@hotmail.com.

[1] – Oh yea, and this song is Suteki da Ne, from the game FF X. I seem to like game songs, and this song is very nice. I'm too lazy to type the translation here, just look it up at FF X Suteki da Ne. It's 1.19 AM here, and i need to catch some sleep. Tuition tomorrow.  


	4. The Voice From the Past

Morning morning morning~! It's morning here, but it may be night time when you read it...but still...nvmind ^^;;....so....err... this is a flashback chapter...and it starts from second year in Hyotei Gakuen...so.. sit back, relax and enjoy~!

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*flashback, Hyotei Gakuen, a year before now*

Atobe's POV

It was finally graduation day in 2nd Year. Of course, it wasn't surprising that I could beat the captain of Seigaku's Tennis Club. He was very weak, anyway. Not much of a challenge to ore-sama.

I have practically danced with every girl at the school hall today. Since they asked me for a dance, I couldn't turn down their offer. After a while, I got bored dancing with the same people. I yawned as I leaned on the pillar.

Suddenly, something caught my eye. It was the sparkle of a girl's purple gown. She must be a new student here, because I've never noticed her around. Unlike some other girls, she didn't really bother to dress up very nicely and put on heavy makeup. 

I had this sudden urge to ask her for a dance. She was very pretty, not too dressed up, but just nice. Her brown hair was short, curling at its ends. 

"Would you like a dance?"I offered my hand.

"Ah, okay,"she replied calmly.

Since they were playing a slow waltz, we danced slowly. She was a rather good dancer. She hardly spoke though.

"So, you must be new here,"I said, trying to get her to talk more about herself.

"Oh, no. I've been here since the beginning of this year."

Oh, god. She doesn't even know ore-sama. Who would NOT know me? After all, I was the most popular in school. How could she not know me?

"And you are..."I asked. She must really be a new student.

"Kiritani Yuko, yoroshiku[1]! And you?"

"Atobe Keigo,"I said. Sigh.....she DOESN'T KNOW ORE-SAMA!!! This is awful. I ought to popularize myself more. 

After the dance, I offered to get her some punch. She smiled back at me, and I presumed it as a 'yes'.  

When I handed her the glass of punch, she thanked me.

"So, what sports do you participate in?"she asked me. 

"I'm the member of the Hyotei Gakuen Tennis Club. And what about you?"

"Oh, me? I'm the member of the cooking club,"she replied happily. I could imagine her frying ebi tempura already.

After a while of talking, someone gestured to Yuko hurriedly.

"Ah, gomen ne, Keigo-kun, but I need to go. You've got my number, right? So, call me anytime!"Yuko said to me. I waved to her goodbye and saw her walk out of the building. 

After that day, I bumped into her almost everywhere, especially nowadays, in third year. It seemed to be fate, though. She seemed alot different than the other girls. I guess, it would take some time for me to get to know her better.

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Yuko's POV, Flashback mode

I've been seeing Keigo-kun everywhere. It seemed as if we were heading to the same destination. 

One day, I saw him at the tennis courts after school. Cooking session wasn't as long as any game practice, especially if you're representingt the school. There I saw Keigo, a racket in his hand. He played very well, of course. What do you expect? I heard from some girls that he's the captain this year.

After Keigo-kun's tennis practice ended, I decided to say hi to him.

"Ah, hey, Keigo-kun. You're good in tennis, ne~?"I asked. Of course, who wouldn't know that.

"Thanks. I still need to try your cooking and see whether it's edible or not."

"What if I put poison in it?"

"I'll still have to try the food, though."

"Hey, Keigo-kun, can you teach me tennis?"

"Sure. What day are you free?"

"Sunday."

"Okay then, Sunday at the Shibuya Tennis Courts at 4 pm? How does that sound to you?"

"Sound fine,"I said. After all, there was hardly anything to do. It was going to be a fun day.

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Narrator(my)'s POV(still in flashback mode)[// is Yuko's thoughts.]

Yuko grabbed her racket and swung it, hitting a ball. Unfortunately, the ball hit the frame of the racket, so it went flying up.

"Ah!"she yelped a little. Atobe who was watching her only had the strength to sigh. 

"Here, you hold the racket like this,"Atobe demonstrated the eastern grip. Yuko, who was too used to playing badminton, kept on holding the tennis racket like a badminton one.

"Thanks for teaching me a little about tennis, Keigo-kun,"Yuko said weakly. She used up most of her energy to get the ball to hit the middle of the strings of her racket.

"Hey, no problem. You owe me something, though,"Atobe said, leaning over to Yuko, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She blushed furiously, and waved goodbye to Atobe.

//Now, I better go and train my voice. I'll dump this stuff at home first before going to the lake to sing.//

Yuko quickly took the monorail to where she stayed. As usual, her parents were busy at work and haven't return from work yet. They often knew that she went to the lake to train her voice, so they usually didn't care about her life. Her life was hers and their life was theirs.

The monorail was packed with people, even though it was not the peak hour. Yuko sighed as she squeezed out of the monorail to the Yomakega Park[1].

There she stood beyond the great Yomakega Lake. It wasn't that big, but it often gave her the inspiration to sing. Since it was night time, hardly anyone was there. 

That night too, Atobe had the feeling to go to Yomakega Park and clear his mind. He had been quite stressed by his parents, on their decisions on whether to open a pub for him. The first thing he said was to make the age limit for people above 15. His parents could only do nothing but agree. Keigo always had things his way.

Besides that, it was a nice day for a walk. The breeze blew softly, blowing those grey curls.

As Atobe walked on the pathway at the park, he gazed out at the lake. It was the only few lakes they had in Tokyo. After all, Tokyo is an overpopulated and crowded place. He gazed at the reflection of the moon on the lake. He took a seat by the lake beside the bushes and admired the works of mother nature.

Meanwhile, he heard a very nice voice singing at that night. It was a melodious song, and her voice just seemed almost perfect. He could see a figure standing at the other side of the lake, singing. He got up and decided to walk to the girl. It was rare to find such talent. Maybe she could be the singer for the pub he was planning to open, the 'Ice Kingdom'. 

"Oka no ue ni fuku, midori, wo wataru kaze....anata to kita no wa, hon no, kimagure.....[2]"The girl sang from the distance. Atobe could hear her song clearly from far. He let her finish singing before approaching her.

"Your song was beautiful, miss,"Atobe said.

"Ah, thanks,"she replied. She turned to look at the man who complimented her ; it was Atobe.

"Keigo-kun! Why didn't you tell me you were here?"Yuko said. Atobe rubbed his eyes a little, and saw it was truly Yuko.

"I didn't know you could sing,"Atobe said. 

"Yeah, I can."

"Well, I'm gonna open a bar, and I'm wondering, can you perform for everyone? I'm sure gonna pay you."

"Sure, no prob. And don't worry about the payment, it's ok,"Yuko said.

"I need to pay you. This is what you call hiring."

"Fine fine, I'll discuss with my parents."

Now, Yuko had discussed with her parents and they finally agreed. After all, this could be exposure to Yuko, instead of singing to a lake. So, Yuko told the final result to Atobe, and soon they got closer in preparation for the day. It was going to be a wonderful and perfect night.

Finally, the performance night came. Yuko, in her sparkling pants and a cute top, walked backstage, putting on her high heels. She let her hair down, and curled it slightly on its end. 

"You ready, Yuko?"asked Atobe. She smiled back at him, and continued getting ready.

The performance was superb, and everyone enjoyed it. Somehow, there was some person who was drunk and fell asleep, though. Yuko tried waking up the young man, who appeared to be only 15. She shook him up, and took him back to his house. It was two in the morning. Luckily she had no school tomorrow, as it was Saturday.

After the performance and cleaning up, Yuko met with Atobe once again.

"Hey, Yuko. Nice performance."

"Thanks,"she replied, bushed. 

"D'you want anything? After all, you must be tired."

"Yeah, anything will do."

Atobe handed the girl some Coke. She felt the cold liquid flowing through her throat as she quickly emptied the can of Coke.

"Yuko.."

"Hai?"

"Do you believe, in love?"Atobe asked. He held her hand, and gave her an embrace. Soon, it became a kiss. It lasted for quite some time, till Yuko pulled away.

"Keigo-kun..."

"Could you be my girlfriend?"

Yuko pulled away from that boy. She looked at the ground, tears ready to spill from her eyes.

"Wait, Yuko, is there anything wrong?"

"I'm so sorry, Keigo, I just can't."

"Why?"

"About some time ago, the Kiritani family was in debt with the Tezuka family. They had no other way to pay, but with their only daughter ; me."

"That means..."

"Yes, I am going to marry into the Tezuka family soon, and I can't engage myself in any sort of relationship. I have to leave now,"Yuko said calmly. She tried to hold back her emotions as hard as she could.

"Yuko, why don't you just protest?"

"Keigo, you don't understand. This is already a deal. The way to pay the Tezuka family is through me. Now, if you'll excuse me.."

Yuko left as soon as she could. It would be better not to face Atobe and talk about this. She wasn't really good at controlling her emotions after all. When she got home and ran into her room, she burst out crying.

"NAZE? Why do I have to marry someone I hardly know? Why can't I just love someone I truly love? Why am I so, like a captive? Why can't I choose who I want to be with?"she said, banging onto her pillow. Tears rolled onto her cheek like a river. She couldn't help it ; she was unhappy.

After that outbreak, Yuko tried to avoid human contact as much as possible. It was a bit worse in Hyotei, because everyone would start bugging her about Atobe, especially his fan club members. 

"Maybe this would be the only choice, anyway,"Yuko said, carrying her luggage, ready to leave her old home.

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[1] – Means nice to meet you in Japanese.

[2] – Another song, this time, from the anime Rurouni Kenshin, the image song for the character Kachi Itsuko(part of the Daigoro story), called Sono Mama. A very good song indeed.

Well, I've written a very long chapter about Yuko's past. If it gets confusing, please e-mail me, or rather post it as a review. Since it's 1.14 AM here, I'm calling it a day for now. Ja. 


	5. Melody of Joy

Hello! I'm updating like crazy, coz I'm quite bored, y'see? Sore de, I'm posting chappies like mad. Hope it isn't too much of chapters for ya'll to read. So, I'm continuing, any queries, feel free to ask me.

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Tezuka was walking home from the pub early. Those  girls were bugging him again, as usual. He was glad that they didn't decide to tail him back to his house, though. When he was on the way home, he recieved an SMS :

Kunimitsu, this is mom n dad. We're going on a trip to the house by the lake. Miyuki's following along too, so is grandpa. Yuko's at the house tho, and pls keep her company. And don't forget to eat dinner with her everyday, okay? See you. –Mom

Oh gosh. He was going to be home alone. Well, not totally alone. Yuko was going to be at home. At least he wouldn't have to depend on instant ramen everyday. 

When he reached home, he expected Yuko to be asleep, as it was 1 AM. He needn't say 'tadaima', if she wasn't there to greet him either. He took off his shoes and placed them on the rack.

"Ah, you're home, Kunimitsu? Okaeri nasai yo,"said a voice from inside. Tezuka was stunned for a while, but then registered in his head that Yuko was still awake.

"Hey Yuko. You still awake?"Tezuka asked the brown haired girl. She smiled back at him, just like the way Fuji smiled. It brought him back memories of the guy he liked, or rather likes. 

"Oh, yea. Made some apple pie. You want some?"Yuko offered, handing Tezuka a plate of her pie. He took the pie, and gobbled it down. Since he was disturbed by those girls, he had no time to eat and get them away from him at the same time. The apple pie was really sweet and delicious, and not too dry.

"The pie was nice. Thanks,"he said. After all, he was awfully hungry.

"Kunimitsu, you look hungry. Did you have your dinner?"

"Not really."

"Oh, no wonder. Let me get you some leftovers from dinner today, ne? Just wait a while, please,"Yuko said, getting up from her position on the sofa. 

Yuko then returned with some unagi and some teppanyaki on a plate. She must have just popped it in the microwave, because Tezuka could see the steam coming out from the food.

"Here! Enjoy your food!"she said, putting the food on the dining table. Tezuka adjourned to the dining table, ready to feast on the food laid before his eyes. There also was unagi, his favourite food. 

"You're not eating?"Tezuka asked. Yuko shook her head, and smiled back. She reminded him of his blue-eyed beauty alot. 

"Thanks for the food, Yuko."

"No prob, Kunimitsu. Ano, can you do me a favour?"

"What favour?"

"You used to play tennis right? And very well too right?"

"I USED to. Now I hardly play tennis anymore,"Tezuka replied. It was partly true ; he often slacked off and headed to the pub right after school, after changing.

"Well, anyway, can you coach me on tennis?"Yuko asked the bespectacled man. He almost choked at his green tea. 

"But, do you know how to play tennis?"

"Just a bit."

"Well, I don't think I can coach you, actually. Maybe you should get someone else..."

"Onegai shimasu! Can you please teach me to play tennis?"Yuko asked, bowing down. Tezuka was astonished at her actions, and tried to get her up.

"Hey, no need to bow. Fine fine, wake up by 8 AM tomorrow,"Tezuka said, looking at Yuko. She nodded her head, and decided to brush her teeth. Since there was more than a toilet in the house, Tezuka also brushed his teeth. When he was done, he could see Yuko sleeping soundly at the other side of the bed.

"Good night, my angel,"Tezuka said softly, hugging Yuko as they were asleep. He sort of thought of Yuko as Fuji, therefore, he didn't find it strange to hug someone. After all, she smiled just like Fuji.

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The next morning, Yuko found herself in Tezuka's arms. She blushed a little and she took away the hands from herself. She wasn't grossed out or anything, but Yuko was sure that it would be okay, because after all, she was going to be Tezuka's wife sooner or later. She smiled, and took a quick shower. It was going to be a nice day to play tennis.

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Tezuka's POV

Great, since I thought Yuko knew how to play tennis, coaching her would be simple. She looked like a pro in tennis, though. Sadly, all the balls she hit either flew up and flew somewhere away from the middle of the court. 

"Gomen!"she said again, as another ball flew out of the court.

"I'll go get it!"she offered. At least it would save my strength. And I thought it would be simple to teach her how to play tennis. Well, it was going to be a long day...

Finally, Yuko came back with the ball, smiling happily. I couldn't help but smile at her too. 

"So, what do I do? Learn how to serve?"

"No. Learn how to hold the racket properly.."

"Oh.."she said, blushing. I stood behind her, showing her the right way to hold the racket in the forehand stance.

"So, it's like this,"I said.

"Oh, cool! Hey, so I hit the ball like..this?"Yuko asked, putting the racket to the back and swinging it forward. 

"Something like that. Now, let's try hitting a ball to the other side of the court."

It was very enjoyable. Somehow, I felt different being with her. It seems that I've known her, for a long time.

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Hey hey, I know I shouldn't stay up late, but anyway, here is another chappie. I'm so sorry, just wanna use up my free time...^-^!


	6. The Song Never Forgotten

Da da da~! This is the last day of my holz, so it may take some time before I post another chappie. It's 9.38 AM, and no one is so hardworking to wake up early. Everything's so quiet here, my nee-san coming home next next week, Thursday. Er.....thanks for the reviews, anyway. Ehe..^~^!

tezuka eiri well well, wait and see....^-^ oh, and by the way, Atobe wasn't happy with Yuko's deal with the Tezuka family, so he got outraged...and angry...furious...er...and also disappointed....

Ah, and if you want to know how Yuko might have known Tezuka is written in the story BTS. Therefore, instead of flashing back, you can just pop there and read the part where Yuko might have known Tezuka. Should be the last chappie, of BTS...^-^...well, onto the story. Hope ya'll like this!

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The week without anyone was quiet. Finally, after a week, Tezuka's family came back from their trip to the lake. 

"Here, Yuko, a big fish as promised,"said Tezuka's father, handing the girl a rather large fish from a bucket, which is believed to contain alot of fishes. 

"Thanks, Mr.Tezuka! I'll make some sushi for minna-san later!"she said cheerily. Sometimes Yuko could be cold when she wanted to, and sometimes can be warm and bubbly. 

"Yeah, I'll help you!"Miyuki offered. Who didn't know that she took sushi rolling lessons with the Kawamura's dad and sometimes Kawamura himself. 

"Don't you only know how to roll wasabi sushi?"said Tezuka.

"Umm...yeah...at least I know how to roll.."

"I'm going off soon, mom, dad. Won't be back for dinner. Ja,"said Tezuka, getting up from his seat. It was 5 PM, and Miyuki supposed that the pub should have been open by then. 

"Sigh, it's gonna be hard to get him over to your concert, Yuko,"Miyuki said, turning to the brown-haired girl.

"Oh my gosh! I forgot! I need to be at Tokyo Dome by, around 6.30 PM for all the make-up and stuff!"Yuko shrieked. She instantly dropped the bucket of fish.

"Well, mom and I'll settle dinner. What about getting nii-chan there?"

"No, Miyuki-san, can you and the rest go and take Kunimitsu from the pub about, 7.30 PM? I'll make dinner now, so just eat before going, ok?"said Yuko, rushing to the kitchen.

"Hai hai!"

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Miyuki's POV

The first thing I did after dinner was to call all the regulars. We all needed nii-chan to come back to earth. I didn't know what Yuko was planning, but all I needed to do was to get all the regulars to drag nii-chan from the pub and send him off to Tokyo Dome. Yuko said she managed to get some seats for us, so it should be no problem.

"Moshi moshi? May I speak to Syusuke? This is urgent,"I said over the phone to Syusuke's sister. She asked me to wait a while as she went to get Syusuke to the phone.

"Moshi moshi,"Syusuke said normally over the phone.

"Hey, Syusuke, you free tonight? I'll pop over to your house soon, okay? Stay where you are,"I said before cutting the call and dialing the numbers of Oishi's house.

"Hello,"said the person who recieved the call. I suspected it was Oishi's younger sister at the phone.

"Hello, may I speak to Syuichiroh?"I said hurriedly. 

"Chotto matte kudasai,"said his sister. I heard her shout for her brother, and soon he was at the phone.

"Moshi moshi,"Oishi said.

"Oishi-kun, stay where you are, I'll pop over to your house soon,"I said, before repeating what I did to every other regular.

Soon, I rushed over to Oishi's house first, then to Syusuke's, and Eiji's. Then we split up to look for the rest of them and said to gather at the square in front of the pub 'Ice Kingdom'. 

Finally, at 7.15 PM, everyone was gathered at the square.

"Miyuki-senpai, tell me again why we have to go and listen to some unknown singer,"said Ryoma, yawning.

"Well, we need our buchou back, right? Sore de, this is the only way to get him back."

"And tell me again, can a person under the age of 18 enter a pub in the first place?"continued Ryoma.

"No, in the Ice Kingdom, everything is alright, as long as you go there."

"Fine.."

All 9 of them entered the cold looking shophouse. Its interior was blue, and gave them the impression of a cold place. Deep inside the shophouse, it was more of a pub. Oishi was worried at the company Tezuka had been making there. It was only 7.30 PM, and having Tezuka drunk would be rather a sight. 

"Kuso, there are more people here today. Hey, Ryoma, Momo, Eiji, check over there. Kaidoh, Taka-san, Inui, please check for Tezuka over there, and Syusuke, Oishi and I will check here,"I ordered. The rest obeyed my orders, and began looking for nii-chan.

Finally, I found nii-chan, surrounded by girls with Syusuke beside me only as poor Oishi was cornered by some bitches. I would have kicked their asses, but Oishi would never do that. 

I pulled nii-chan's ear, and got him out of the place. Luckily he wasn't drunk yet. I told everyone to gather outside the pub, since I've already found nii-chan.

"Hey, what're you doing? I still need some sake.."nii-chan said, groaning. I just kicked him in the shins.

"Yo, we're going to see a concert. Now, stop being such a drunkard."

"But.."

"Whatever,"I said. No one had ever seen Tezuka so easygoing before.

After a long walk, all of us reached the brightly lit Tokyo Dome. There was going to be a concert tonight, Yuko's one. We were slightly late, so the concert hhad already started. We pushed our way through the crowd looking for our seats. We finally got seated, about 5 rows from the stage.

"Now, the next song is going to be 'Sono Mama',"Yuko said. She must have danced earlier, because she was sweating buckets. 

"Oka no, ue ni fuku, midori wo wataru kaze....anata to kita no wa, hon no, kimagure......[1]"Yuko sang in a high pitch. Everyone was shocked at how a young girl possessed such a sweet voice, especially all the Seigaku regulars. They didn't expect Yuko to be that good. I could see nii-chan slightly awake, but slightly dozing off, because he must have had a bottle of sake earlier on.

After the song, it was yet another song, called 'Open Up Your Mind'. 

"Moshimo ima subete ga umaku nante ikanai, makesou ni naru toki datte...hitomi wo tojireba, kokoro kara....sekai ga, miete kuru

In this world when life can be so tough, You must be strong. Just believe in yourself and don't you fear....So open up your mind and close your eyes

Take another look from the other side[2],"Yuko sang again. She was truly a very good singer. She must have had alot of practice. Once again, I could hear Eiji commenting on how Yuko could sing so well. What a coincidence we also bumped into Yuki on the way to find our seats, and hers was right next to ours, so we definitely got Eiji to sit next to her.

"Sugoi ne...."Yuki whispered to Eiji. He nodded his head, eyes fixed on Yuko.

After the song, Yuko sat down and sang more songs, showing her true voice. I could see nii-chan awake, but of course, half asleep as well.

"So, finally, it's the main song for the day, and the last. 1000 No Kotoba,"Yuko said finally.

"Kimi no kotoba wa, Yume no yasashisa kana?

USO wo zenbu.....Oikakushiteru, ZURUI yo ne.

Tabidatsu kimi ni......Sameta senaka misete, Kiiteita yo.......Hitori tatakau no?

ZURUI yo ne...[3]"she said. Finally, I saw nii-chan jolt up. His eyes widened in surprise as he remembered the song.

"This....is the song the girl who tried to heal my arm used to sing....that....song."

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Uh oh....need 2 pack for school, bye!


	7. The Mysterious Girl

Hello minna-san! I'm sorta back from my one-month long 'hiatus', or rather study plan! Yeah….yeah…some of you should be like…. "Dammit! Back so fast?!?!" or maybe "Yay! Back~!" sorta thing…so yup! I'm finally back, finished my finals. Didn't get that high…so I hope I stay at my class! Well anyway, I've been taking my time planning what's gonna happen soon as I studied, so getting a writer's block is a lil bit hard to get. So, er…once again, thanks to everyone who have supported me and kept me going on writing this weird fanfic, especially sakura2814, Jen-chan, and my good fren(Mel)'s sister, Lyn! So, well, thanks once again for reading my fanfic, and I hope you enjoy this!

Oh yeah, some things I forgotted to add earlier.

[1]-From the anime Rurouni Kenshin. Character song for Kachi Itsuko. She's the 'girlfriend' of this guy called Daigoro, and her seiyuu is Iwao Junko. The song's called Sono Mama, and I like it very much~!

[2]-The song 'Open Up Your Mind' by this Singaporean group Mirai. It's sometimes played at the end of Gensomaden Saiyuki before the song 'Alone'. I also like it sooooooo much!!

[3]-And finally, the song from FF X-2, 1000 Words, which is actually the title of this crazy fan fic ^-^ and there are still ppl reading this. Not bad. ^-^!

sakura2814 Not all the songs....only the last song, 1000 Words, and the other song, Real Emotion. ^-^!

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*flashback*

"I'll pick you up tomorrow, okay?"Tezuka's mother said, looking at the young boy. He nodded his head. He stood and read the sign outside the building. Tokyo General Hospital. Why was he here in the first place? Oh yeah, his arm. Tezuka looked at his left arm with blood still dripping on the floor. It had been bandaged, but his mother wasn't a doctor. He sighed and stepped into the huge building. People there looked scary and cold. Must be the aura of sick people making everyone feel tired, bored and emotionless. He stepped to the reception counter.

"May I help you?"said the receptionist. She didn't sound so welcoming anyway.

"I'm supposed to see Dr. Yamagata. Where would he be?"Tezuka asked, looking up to the receptionist.

"Dr. Yamagata? East Wing, 5th Floor, the children's floor."

"Thank you,"the young boy replied, turning to the east wing. The hospital seemed much bigger than how it was from the outside. 

Finally, he reached the 5th floor. He was quite shocked to see the number of patients at that ward. Kids from young to teens were seated, either fiddling with the flimsy toys supplied or looking at the television, watching the Pokemon show on tv. Finally, Tezuka decided to ask the nurse where was Dr. Yamagata.

"Dr. Yamagata? He's currently seeing another patient, have a seat first,"the nurse replied coldly as she rushed to the dispensary.

Tezuka took a seat by the window overlooking the park for patients at the back of the hospital. Beside him, he saw a girl looking outside the window cluelessly as well.

"Doesn't it feel so strange here?"she said, turning to Tezuka. He just nodded his head. 

"It feels like everyone's in some sort of charm.....a sad one, right? It's such a lonely and depressing here..ne?"she said even more mysteriously. Tezuka looked at the girl. She looked as mysterious as Fuji, the blue-eyed tennis tensai, the small child at school. 

"So, why are you here for? Hardly anyone stays here for a long time...and it gets pretty quiet here at times,"the girl said. 

"My arm."

"Oh, ok. Wish I could help you, though. I'm sure some doctor can help you. I don't think anyone can help me, though..."she said solemnly.

Before Tezuka could reply what the girl said, he got interrupted by a nurse who ran towards the girl frantically.

"Miss Kiritani! You're not allowed to be wandering outside like this! Back to your room, now!"exclaimed the stressful nurse as a couple of kids began shouting around. She tried calming those kids down, and nevertheless, failed. 

"Whoopsie....I think I better get back to my room. Listen 'ere, I've got alot to tell you, so meet me at the lake outside the hospital, okay?"the girl said to Tezuka. He nodded his head, looking at the girl being dragged away by the nurse. Now, he began to be restless. He often wondered how people can stay in hospitals long-term. Even staying at one for about a few hours can bore a person to death.

"Tezuka, Tezuka Kunimitsu!"said another nurse. He presumed it was the time to see Dr.Yamagata, the hospital's only pediatician. 

As the frail boy walked into the room, he could see a middle-aged man smiling as he held a file with him. Tezuka took a seat facing the doctor. 

"So what's the injury this time, Tezuka-san?"the doctor said cheerily.

"My arm. Got it hurt."

"How?"

"Tennis."

"Oh. Ok."

After a short time of checking, Dr. Yamagata gazed at the wound on Tezuka's arm. He showed a frown, calling a nurse to come.

"Take this boy in for one night. Call his mother. Put antiseptic on it, and bandage it."

"Yes, doctor,"replied the nurse, rushing back into the dispensary.

After a while, Tezuka was led to his room. It was a big one, and it apparently was chosen by his mother. After all, his mother paid or it, so it didn't matter to him. All he wanted to do was go outside and play tennis. Damn the senpai for hurting him. What the hell did he do anyway? He just won the match fair and square anyway.

Finally, after his mother visited him and left, he was all alone in the creepy ward. He felt alone, helpless and wished for someone to be with him. As he flushed himself with thoughts, he drowned to sleep.

After that, it was about 9 PM when he arose from the bed. He suddenly recalled the meeting he had with the mysterious-looking girl. 

_Meet me at the lake_, recalled Tezuka. He got up from the bed, wore his slippers and clambered to the door. It creaked silently, allowing Tezuka to get out of the hospital grounds for a short while. He tiptoed silently down the stairs and to the ground floor. When he got close to the sliding door, it opened. Tezuka continued walking out to the lake. He faintly saw a figure sitting by the lake, throwing rocks into the lake.

"Maaa, it took you quite some time to get here,"she said, beaming as she saw Tezuka.

"Yeah, sneaked out quietly just now,"Tezuka replied as he sat beside her.

"So, how's your arm? Doesn't seem good."

"Well, it's not that good, but I'll be discharged tomorrow. Just that the wound is slightly infected, and apparently my arm is dislocated, but they're not keeping me long term."

"Oh, ok. I have to stay here long term though. It has been four months since I left home. Dad and mom are too busy to see me, so they never visited me here. I kinda envy you. You don't need to stay here for long, as your arm can be healed. My sickness is pretty hard to cure, even Dr.Yamagata says it's best for me to depend on God whether I'll survive or not."

Tezuka just kept quiet. He must admit it was the most he must have spoken to another person. 

"Hey, I'm sure I think someone will help and cure you. Someday, somewhere. I even have the feeling I can cure you, only if I have enough time. Well, hey, they're gonna give be a free day tomorrow, so I think I'll have enough time to get the medium to heal you. You're Tezuka, right? The nurse said so. I'll try to get to your medical reports and get your address and deliver this stuff to you, ok? Trust in me, I'll be sure to cure you."The girl said, turning back and smiling to Tezuka. She scrambled back into the hospital building, leaving Tezuka to gaze at the stars.

_God, let me be able to play tennis again_.

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Time passes quickly. It's another day at the hospital for Tezuka. Just as the girl said, it's her free day tomorrow, so she was found nowhere in the hospital grounds. He kind of pitied her for staying for so long with no one to see. No relative, no parent. Just her alone with a couple of patients. The patients here stayed short-term, so when she made a friend, it would be time for him or her to leave already. Tezuka hated being alone, especially being away from school, tennis, and Fuji. As he looked out to the lake, he once again wondered of that girl. Where on earth would she be? Would whatever she said be true?

Meanwhile...

It was very quiet in the library. Only the sound of pages flipping could be heard. In this place, silence was golden. 

_Yatta! Found it!_ Yuko said to herself, taking out a book from the shelves. She tiptoed, reaching out for the hardcover book. It read 'Mountain Herbs and Mushrooms'. She silently placed it on a table, sitting down to browse through the book.   

After an hour of browsing, Yuko came to an abrupt stop.

                   _Eucantuma glyratos_

                   Used to heal arm dislocations.

                   Found in mountain tops.

                   Pounded finely into small bits. Boil in water, and then mix with 

                   another herb _cantermari rasperatos_(mashed) and wipe it on the

                   wound. Do that once a day to cure.

Yes! That was EXACTLY what I was looking for. Yapari~! Now time to go to Mika nee-san's herb store! She should know where to look for these herbs!

The young girl checked the book out and placed it into her backpack. She ran quickly to the other side of town, closer to Fuji-yama. She stormed into a small hut close to the mountain, beaming at its occupants.

"Mika nee-san! How are you?"Yuko said, rushing to her close friend. Mika ran a herb store with her mother, and had tried healing Yuko with herbs. Nevertheless, it didn't work at all.

"Ah, Yuko, long time no see! Anything you need me for?"

"Hey, do you know where to find these herbs?"Yuko said, taking out the 'Mountain Herbs and Mushrooms' book. She pointed to the herbs that she needed. Mika looked at it cluelessly, and then scratched her head.

"Aw...man. I remember having them a week ago...but then I sold that one off. And the other one, I saw it at the mountain last week, but I didn't pick it because I never use it. Do you need me to follow you to pick it?" Mika offered.

"Never mind...I'll go myself. After all, your ankle is not well yet,"Yuko said, looking at the bandage on the older girl's leg. 17-year-old Mika wasn't exactly the most careful girl on earth, even though she is careful. Being 5 years Yuko's senior, she needed to set a good example to Yuko to be mature and well-mannered, like how Mika currently is.

"Sure, and be careful! It rained last night, so I have the feeling that the rocks are gonna be slippery and soft as well, ok?"Mika said, smiling to Yuko. Yuko beamed a grin, and left the shop.

I have a feeling....a strange feeling...something IS going to happen to Yuko... Mika thought, wincing.

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Gah...I wrote pretty long...^-^ And here's a chappie for all of you out there! Hehe...well SOMETHING is going to happen to Yuko...nothing sick....mind you...ehe ^-^ but it HURTS. Hehe...so watch out!

PREVIEW for the next chappie : Mika's predictions are correct, something does happen to Yuko. Yuko almost sacrifices her life ; just for Tezuka? Read on, to find out!


	8. Death Awaits?

Hey again! Second chappie after the 'hiatus'....E Wah(my fren) and I plan to write an out-of-ordinary fanfic, about Ryoma and his dad(no incest here....of course. ^^). Well, I don't think it'll be coming out soon, because I've got to wait for E Wah's idea....but then probably I won't use this username anyway. I'll just wait and see. It's a pretty strange idea tho...so yeah. And, on with the story. Btw, the name of the herbs are created, by me! Oh, so all the herb names are non-existent...ok? I'm not a herb expert, so yeah. =3

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It was afternoon when Yuko set off for Mount. Fuji. She took a can of 100 Plus before proceeding up to the mountain just for some energy, as she haven't eaten lunch yet. She grabbed a basket and with her sneakers, she advanced uphill.

It wasn't much of a challenge for Yuko to climb up. After all, she had taken mountain climbing lessons back then when she was young. The lessons were the ones that triggered her lung problem. Nevertheless, Yuko swore to herself that she would try her best to cure Tezuka, the boy she hardly knew. From how he looked, Yuko guessed that he was a smart boy, and hides his emotions and feelings with a cold exterior. Yuko wanted to know more about that kid. Unlike any other friends she had met before, Tezuka was someone different.

It wasn't long climbing up 400 meters for Yuko. In fact, she reached the top of Mount. Fuji before, with her best friend when she was younger.

After a few minutes of searching, Yuko was about to give up looking for the herbs. She sighed for a while, and sat under a tree to rest after the hike. Usually, she would still be energetic, but with her lung problem, it made it harder for her to breathe. She puffed and puffed heavily, noticing that her vision began to be blurry.

_Oh, darn....not now...not now..._ Yuko said to herself, grasping onto a vine just in case she blacked out. She looked from far for the herbs, never giving up. Finally, she caught a glimpse of the herb that she wanted.

_Ah! Just need to reach there a little..._ Yuko thought, reaching out to the herb. What a coincidence the other herb was growing right next to it. Yuko plucked both herbs and placed it into her basket. She stood up, getting herself ready to leave the scenic mountain.

As she looked to the bottom of the mountain, her vision became blurry once again. She stepped on a rock ; but it was a soft one. It made her slip down, making her lose consciousness. Her cheek scraped on the rough ground as she fell down. In the end, she managed to stop, by hitting her head on a big rock. Her world went black, and she knocked out.

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_God...where on earth is Yuko?_ Mika said to herself. After thinking for some time, she decided to climb up the mountain to look for Yuko. Yuko wasn't in tip top condition, even though there were no obvious signs of her lung problem.

_It was wisest to accompany Yuko...shit. She's not here.._ Mika said. As she was about to give up looking for Yuko, she saw a trail sliding down the mountain.

_Oh. No. That can't be Yuko. No..it should not be Yuko. It can't be Yuko. What if it is? Holy...holy..shit._

Mika, being a mountain girl, slid down the trail. Even though her ankle was still injured, she was still agile and careful. When she came to a stop, her jaw dropped.

"Oh no...it can't be you, Yuko! Yuko!"Mika shouted, alarmed, shaking the frail body. Mika touched the girl's head for any blood.

_Damn. I've got to send her to the hospital right now! _

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"*cough cough*!" Tezuka coughed, as he choked on his sushi. It was unusual for him to choke on anything, since he always was careful.

"Kunimitsu! Are you okay?"Tezuka's mother said, alarmed.

"Fine, just fine."

When his mother sent him back to the 5th floor, back to the depressing hospital ward, he saw many nurses rushing towards the emergency ward. Being inquisitive, Tezuka walked towards the emergency ward.

"What's the name of the patient?"Tezuka overheard the nurse say to another colleague of hers.

"Yuko Kiritani. Go file that out now. Contact any of her family members."

Tezuka stood there as if he was struck by lightning. No, it can't be that girl. Not that Kiritani.

Outside the emergency room, he saw a girl sitting. She looked very worried, probably worried over the patient.

"Are you Kiritani's sister?"Tezuka inquired.

"Me? No. I'm her friend, Mika. Hey, how do you know Yuko?" Mika said.

"Yuko? She was the one who wanted to heal my arm."

"So, you must be Tezuka."

"What happened to her?"

"Just because of **you**, she's like **this**! What are you going to do about this? What if she dies right now? If she never met you, nothing would have happened! If she never felt anything special or if she never saw you before, she would still be healthy, like any normal girl!"Mika exclaimed, glaring at Tezuka. Tezuka froze at his words. He was speechless. What exactly happened to her?

"What happened to her? I didn't even do anything to her!"Tezuka retorted. 

"She, being the kind girl she is, wanted to heal you! She went to my house, looking around for some herbs to help you! Then, she went looking the herbs, even though she suffers from this fatal lung problem! There she went, and she slid down and hit her head on a big rock!"

"What!? She **hit** her head on a **rock**?!"Tezuka said, his eyes showing a hint of astonishment. 

"Never mind. Sorry for being harsh. Anyway, it's best that you leave Yuko, until she is perfectly alright. Don't bother her, for her sake, okay? Please, promise me, ok?"Mika said, losing the tone of anger in her voice. Tezuka nodded his head, heading back to the children's ward.

_Yuko, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...please forgive me._

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

After that event, Tezuka tried his best forgetting about it. He suceeded, because he had alot of school work to complete. Besides that, tennis made him very busy, so eventually he forgot about Yuko, and whatever that happened in the past. But the only thing he could remember of Yuko ; the song she sang.

*flashback*

_"La...la la.."Yuko sang, as she gazed out of the window. Her emerald green eyes shone under the setting sun._

_"That's a nice song,"Tezuka complimented. Yuko smiled, looking at the boy. _

_"Thanks**."**_

*end flashback*

TBC

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Bah...was that sucky? Yes, of course! ^-^ It's sucky! Gehe...somehow, I left it hanging here, so yeah, don't know how to continue. Well, lemme think...ehe...well yeah, I'll continue it on the next chappie. Btw,  just to tell everyone, I kinda made a mix-up with Yuko and Yuki's name. It's Yuki HARAGIRI, and Yuko KIRITANI. I'm so sorry if everyone was confused, so I changed the chapters with this mix-up, which is the previous chappie, this one, and the first one. So, see you! Any comments/flames are welcome! Just as long the flames aren't too harsh...because HINT HINT : I am quite a fragile girl. Yell at me, I'll yell back at you. ^_^.


	9. Memories from the Past

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for the late reply, because I've been having a writer's block...so I sorta forgot what to write ^^;; but I finally found what I should write....btw, if you're free, go to , I'm rather proud of what I've done ^_^ so, yeah. Back to the story.(_Italics_ are thoughts.)

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Tezuka stared in surprise. Many thoughts ran across his mind.

_Isn't that girl...dead? Or something like that...but..._ Tezuka thought, his mind being more jumbled and confused.

Many of her spectators clapped enthusiastically, calling for encores. She sang a few more songs, her famous ones. Finally, it was the end. The strange thing was that, she hadn't left the stage yet. Her eyes were watery, with all the tears accumulated at her eyes. She flashed out her all-time smile, and curtseyed to the crowd. Before the crowd could cheer again, the frail body lunged forward, falling off the 5-foot stage. 

Soon, the crowd became rowdy.

"Please, let me see Yuko!"Miyuki exclaimed in horror, trying to fight her way to the stage. The ushers were asking them to leave, since it was very important. Tezuka showed his VIP card, and soon he was able to walk calmly to Yuko.

Even though he looked cool and emotionless, his heart was pounding. Was this the disease that Yuko had when she was young? No, she can't die just like that. His mind started racing back to the day when he met the lonely child, now focusing on the unconcious figure.

"Yuko! YUKO!"Miyuki yelled as she stretched out to the girl on the floor. She looked peaceful, but Tezuka never felt calm. At this moment, he could not be calm. He knelt down closely to her, and kissed her on her forehead.

_So, is this what it's all about? What your disease actually is about.._ Tezuka said to himself. Most of the Seigaku regulars finally arrived by the stage. Ryoma yawned again.

"Uninteresting. I'm going back...."Ryoma said, heading towards the jammed exits.

"BAKA! YOU STAY PUT HERE!"Yuki and Miyuki said at the same time, pulling the collar of his shirt. 

"Or else you want to try the Haragiri special..."Yuki declared, taking out a bottle of pink bottle of liquid from her sling bag.

"And I thought it was lime green....[1]"Miyuki said, sweatdropping. Her best friend must have been too exposed to Inui.

"Ah, with extra essence of rose.....and some leftovers of lunch...."Yuki said, grinning. Ryoma's face turned blue. 

"Tch, fine, I'll stay....but I don't get the point of worrying over someone I don't know," Ryoma said, his cap covering his eyes.

"Quick! Get a car and send her to the hospital!"Tezuka exclaimed suddenly, giving everyone a worried look once again. 

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Everyone was seated outside the emergency ward of the hospital.

"I'll go for a walk," Tezuka said, getting up from his seat. Everyone looked at him, tensed, especially after finding out that Yuko was probably the girl that Tezuka had probably liked in his heart.

Walking around the hospital brought back memories. Sad memories. The smiling girl, who always felt so lonely. He always wanted to know her more, but sadly, his existence had become a threat to her.

"Just, get away from Yuko!"screamed Mika. She looked at him with pain and anger, her blood boiling. 

"If you never existed, Yuko would LIVE! Now she's about to die! What am I going to do if she dies? TELL ME!"Mika continued, tears gliding down her cheeks. 

Tezuka frowned at the thought of Mika. He looked out to the park at the hospital, the one where the lake was. The sunlight was bouncing off the water's surface. The tulips, daffodils, and carnations began to bloom. 

_Actually, where on earth is this Mika girl now?_ Tezuka thought. Yuko never mentioned about Mika ever since she stepped into their household. Well, at least she could address Mika as her 'best friend'...

Tezuka decided to go back to the emergency room. Looking back at all those days made him feel uneasy over his mistakes. 

"Nii-chan..."Miyuki said to her brother, walking over to him.

"How's Yuko? Any news on her now?"

"Ah, the doctor's still in the operation room, don't worry, ok? I'll get you a cup of coffee...."

"Thanks."

Miyuki came back with two paper cups filled with coffee after five minutes. Tezuka accepted it gratefully, taking it slowly.

"Whoops. Clumsy me....,"Tezuka said, taking out a piece of tissue and wiping his pants. It was extremely unusual for Tezuka to be so clumsy. He hardly, or never ever spills anything. His shaky hand reached out for the cup, hoping to throw it away. Before he could touch the cup, Miyuki picked it up. 

"Nii-chan, you seem unstable. Why don't you go home and then take a rest? You can come back tomorrow, while I stay here with Yuki. or maybe I'll get Syusuke and Eiji to stay here with us, if they want to..."

"I'm fine...."Tezuka retorted. He sat quietly, waiting for the doctor to report on Yuko's health. He wanted to know everything about it, including her supposedly disease. 

"No, nii-chan, go home...mom and dad will be worried like this, and you're going to Germany someday, right? So I think you need to be in good health, not like this. I'm beginning to get worried, not only about Yuko, but also about you.."

"Don't have to worry about me..."

"NO! You go home, right **now**! I'm getting Syuichirou to take you home,"Miyuki ordered sternly.

So, Tezuka had no choice but to listen to sister. Yes, it's true, even though he's older, Miyuki seemed to be the ordering one. 

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

"You sure you're ok at home, Tezuka?"queried Oishi. Tezuka just nodded his head.

"Oyasuminasai."

Tezuka closed the door and took off his shoes, placing them on the shoe rack. He walked up towards his room, and sat down on his bed. He remembered the time when he was sharing a room with his fiancee.

*flashback*

It was finally time to sleep. Yuko brushed her hair flat, and quickly ran to the bed, lying on it.

"Yuko, get off the bed."

"Yada."(Ryoma style)

"Get off the bed. I need to sleep."

"Yada means yada."

Tezuka merely sweatdropped. He grabbed the girl's body, and placed her on the floor.

"WAAAAAAA~ HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME...YOU~!"Yuko yelled at the top of her lungs. This caught the attention of Miyuki who was cramming for her History exam the next day. 

"Yuko! What did nii-chan do to....oh. My..."Miyuki said, gaping at the sight of her brother clutching onto Yuko's waist tightly. It was only the first night together, and they have advanced so far. Tezuka sweatdropped, and quickly let  go of Yuko's waist. Yuko landed on the matress by the bed on her butt. Tezuka looks expressionlessly at his sister, his eyes rolling around.

"Wow, nii-chan, you've gone soooooo far! Well, I'm not gonna disturb the both of you, so ja~!"Miyuki said, smirking evilly.

"Chigau[1]! It's not like that!"Tezuka shouted. 

"Hey, you could consider keeping your voice down, I need some sleep here..."Yuko complained, lying down on her matress. 

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Waaaaaaaaaah....done!! Phew, sorry for the late posting of chapter! Laterz~! ^_^ -Kaye-chan (BTW, i changed the layout for my apple eyes site, .....)


	10. Between Life and Death

After 1 full year of not writing anymore and going on hiatus, I think I have changed. My liking for Tenipuri has somehow, faded I guess? But then, my friend Mel happened to read them, and kinda pestered me to continue. So that's what I'm doing now! I don't kno if any of u still read fanfics, or even like Tenipuri anymore, but I thought I was grown out of anime, coz I have been soooo busy lately studying and all…so yes. But now, I think I'm just gonna try and write, and just want to apologize if my style of writing has changed somehow, or probably characters go OOC, bcoz it has been a YEAR since I watched tenipuri, so I somehow forgot what I even wrote! So, I think I ought to watch those vcd boxes of Tenipuri that are collecting dust. Anyway, for now, enjoy!(italics thoughts)

Am loves Syusuke >thanks for the review(s)! Well um, the disease? I kinda made that up ;; hahaha not leukemia, I'm sure. And nothing's wrong with her blood, it's the lungs.And also because I don't want to kill her, and diagnosing her with leukemia is basically telling everyone she's going to die. And, sorry about the Ice Palace/Kingdom thing. ;! Ah and thanks for reading my previous fanfics sorry if they were pretty weird, LOL

Jen-chan > dono whether u still read this, but anyway, chigau : NO! haha. Meaning something like, NO it's not lk tt! hahaha

* * *

FSSH. Tezuka turned on the shower, letting the cold water wake him up from his dream. (A/N : think hillary duff. "let the rain fall down and wake my dream, let it wash away my sanity…" from her song, come clean. LOL!) All the while he had been avoiding reality by drinking beer and getting drunk. However, he knew that he had to wake up and face the real world once again. He definitely had to get rid of his feelings for his blue-eyed beauty, Fuji Syusuke. But all he knew was to make sure Yuko is alright. However, the song she sang…was so familiar. He remembered the girl who tried to heal her. Her name was Kiritani Yuko. Just like Yuko.

He took the towel and wiped his body dry. He dressed quickly and thought whether he should go and visit Yuko.

_After all, I am her fiancé. I ought to check on her._ Tezuka thought, slipping his cellphone inside his pocket. Just as he was about to leave the house, Mika, Yuko's supposedly pet-sister, came to Tezuka's mind. He thought and flipped through the yellow pages.

_Even if there're a million of people with their names Mika, I wouldn't mind calling every single one of them_. Tezuka thought. However, he definitely underestimated the job. There must be about MILLIONS of people in Tokyo called Mika. Besides, he was clueless about her surname.

_I give up. I am going to the hospital. Pronto._

At the other side of Tokyo(Mika's POV)

Oh. My. God! I can't believe whatever that happened to my baby girl, Yuko, up there! Oh God! Please save her!

I could still remember weeks ago when Yuko came to the herb shop for a chit-chat.

flashback

"Konnichiwa! How can I help you?" I said cheerily, not noticing my customer.

"Heeeey! You don't remember me?" the other person replied. OH MY! That was Yuko's voice! I turned back, gazing at the figure staring right back at me. She looked as if her parents treated her well, unlike before. When she was younger, she was looked down upon because of her illness. They only took care of her, or rather even let her stay inside the Kiritani household was because she was the key to clear the debt between them and a rather well off family, the Tezuka family. Wait. That surname rings a bell.

"Yuko girl! Come on, let me give you a hug!" I shrieked, hugging my 'little sister'. It had been ages since I last saw this girl. When her parents found out about her head injury, they blamed it all on me. Therefore, Yuko was grounded and had to stay at home all the while. She could never get out of the house to meet me anymore. The days went by slowly, as I await for my 'younger sister' to return to me with a hug. She was a very beautiful lady. After all, I knew her since I was a little girl, and she felt like a sibling to me.

"What brings you here?" I said, catching my breath. I pinched myself to see whether this is a dream or not.

"Just wanted to check out on my Mika onee-chan!" she grinned. She took a seat, and I sat beside her.

"Hey, how did you make your way here? Didn't your mom ground you, and say that you can't go anywhere outside your house besides school?"

"Well, I came here to tell you one thing. I have a very, very strong feeling that you're gonna freak out about this."

"What is it? I'm ready to listen."

"Well, I'm married in to the Tezuka family. Well, not officially, but currently, I'm supposed to kinda like, take care of the family or something. They're a really nice family..! Besides cooking, I'm just supposed to take care of the young master, or rather my future husband, Kunimitsu."

"SAAAY! That's nice! Why didn't you call me earlier or something? Awww, my baby girl is growing up!" I said merrily. From the way she looked, she looked a lot healthier than she had been the other time when I saw her three years ago.

We talked and talked, just like long lost sisters. She was telling me about her junior high school life in Hyotei Gakuen, one of the prestigious schools in the country. Then, because of her 'marriage' into the Tezuka family, she transferred to Seishun Gakuen, where her future husband was studying. She told me all about her studying life, and all those high school romance stuff. In three hours, she told me almost three years of her life.

"I have one thing to tell you as well! You know how I am quite good at singing?" Yuko said.

"Well, like DUH! I mean, you sing so darn well!" I replied. She definitely was a good one.

"Well, I've been singing in a pub, and YES it's a decent pub, compared to others. A music scout found me, and said I have a talent! So he said, this weekend1, I'm going to perform in Tokyo Dome at 8PM!1" she gleamed, bouncing happily. I was excited too! She was finally going to perform in front of the eyes of SO many people!

"Yuko-chan, I am SO definitely going to go and watch you perform! This cannot be missed!" I squealed. I heard footsteps, and I knew exactly who it was.

"Saaay, it must be quite eventful here, eh? What's going on?" **he** said.

"Hey! Who's this?" Yuko said, eyeing me. Well, I guess I probably excluded her in this thing. Besides, I doubt she would be able to go for it anyway.

"Yuko, meet my husband, Shindou Takeshi!" I beamed, pointing at my husband. He was my childhood sweetheart, and has been my only love till now. He was a nice, kind, hardworking and good man. He always thought about the practical things in life, and was not as unreasonable as the other men. Although he was a year older than I am, he was a perfect planner. He usually manages our budget well, and of course, we're doing well together. It has been a year since we married. I married early, at the age of 19.

People would think that I've made a rather rash decision, but all I know is that I have met the man in my life, and I'm not going to let love slip like an eel.

Yuko looked at my husband and gave out a chuckle.

"Isn't he your boyfriend since you were in Junior High?" she asked, beaming. I blushed in return, nodding my head. The both of us have come a long way to this.

"No kids?" she asked again, looking at the both of us.

"Well…I'm four month's pregnant!" I rubbed my belly, grinning. It wasn't too large yet, though. She gave me a big bear hug and squealed in excitement.

"Ooooh! Wow! Congratulations! You're going to be a mother, Mika nee-san!" Yuko laughed in joy. All three of us were full of glee.

"You've got to come to our home for dinner!" I said, inviting my 'younger sister', just like I did when we were younger. "My mom would be THRILLED to see you again!" I added.

"Alright then! I'll help you cook too, if you do need the help."

"Hahaha, alright then! Suit yourself!"

end flashback

I quickly ran towards the stage, not wasting any precious seconds. I could barely see her, as a crowd of people stood towering her. They stood like a brick wall, thus I was unable to see my 'younger sister'.

I saw the ambulance come and take her inside. Instantly, I just knew where to head to : the hospital.

"Eh! Hayaku1, Takashi! We need to go!" I said to my husband. He nodded his head, and immediately held my hand. The both of us battled the crowd and finally, after what was a long siege, we reached the car. He revved the engine and sped off.

"Mika. MIKA!" Takashi said, turning to his wife.

"Ah! Yes?"

"Kuso(shit), there's a traffic jam dead ahead! I doubt we can keep up with the ambulance…"

"Oh god, save me."

* * *

Narrator's POV

Tezuka handed some 1000 yen bills to the taxi driver that sent him to the hospital within 15 minutes. In the usual jam, it would even take two hours to reach the hospital.

He stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut. He then opened the hospital doors, and a gust of stale air blew towards him.

He had finally reached Yuko's ward. In his hand was a bouquet of roses, which was a must when visiting the sick or the injured. He pushed the door open, and saw Yuko lying unconscious on the bed. Next to her was none other than his own sister, Tezuka Miyuki.

"Hey! What're you doing here? Didn't Oishi-san take you back?"

"Yeah, he did. Is it ever a crime for me to visit my fiancée?"

Miyuki eyed him and gestured him to take a seat. He put the flowers in a vase, which was strategically empty, waiting to be decorated with flowers. He sat on the plastic chair for a moment, and started to speak.

"So, how's her condition?"

"Yuko's doing alright so far. But she's in a coma…hopefully she will wake up as soon as possible.. staying unconscious for a long period of time doesn't sound too promising."

"I know."

After a long pause, Tezuka began again.

"Say, do you happen to know anyone by the name of Mika?"

"Well, not that I can think of, nii-chan. Why?"

"Well…she's Yuko's 'pet sister', and I'd like to inform her about this…um. Tragedy."

"Oh. Sorry, Mika does NOT ring a bell."

"Ah."

* * *

"Ano, sumimasen, which room is patient Kiritani Yuko in right now?" Mika asked, looking at the nurse by the reception.

"Hmm..let me check. That should be Room 1035, which will be on your right," the nurse replied cheerily.

"Thanks a lot!"

Mika and her husband quickly walked to the room, hoping to get information on Yuko. She was a pleasant girl, and was like a sister to Mika. All the more, Mika had to know about how her 'sister' was doing.

They finally reached the room. Slowly, Mika knocked on the door. She pushed it open, and saw Yuko lying on the bed, unconscious. Beside Yuko was an unknown face, and also Tezuka Kunimitsu, Yuko's fiancé.

"Tezuka-san!" Mika blurted, surprised at seeing him here.

"Mika! I wanted to inform you about this, but I do not know any way to contact you somehow.." Tezuka continued, his face full of worry.

"Oh that's alright, I saw everything that happened in the concert.. she gave me the shock of my life!"

"Mika-san, can I ask you a question?"

"Hm? Anything bothering you?"

"Could you please tell me more about Yuko's disease?" Tezuka asked. Mika sighed.

"Well, you see, at first, Yuko had asthma. Her parents didn't care about her condition, and it worsened. When I first met her, she was a lost young girl with a bad case of asthma and no one seemed to care about her. All her family ever thought about was money, and never thought about their daughter. That was until your family decided to get you to marry Yuko. Yuko was not allowed to talk to anyone, and she was locked up in her house," Mika said. Tezuka felt bad for Yuko. She was forced to do so many things she didn't want to do, for example, marry him.

"Eh? Who's that, nii-chan?" Miyuki asked. Obviously she was a stranger to that girl ; who on earth was she? And why does she know so much about Yuko?

"Oh, that's Mika and err.."

"Her husband, Shindou Takashi. Dozo yoroshiku! (nice to meet you)" he smiled. He was a pleasant-looking man, and he looked rather young. Probably in his early 20s.

"And Mika-san, that's my sister, Tezuka Miyuki," Tezuka continued. Miyuki forced herself to smile. How could she smile when her brother's fiancée was not doing well?

The two of them took chairs and sat in the room with Tezuka and his sister. They chatted for a while about Yuko, and then about themselves. Tezuka asked for Mika's number, just in case of anything. You could never be careful when it came to people dealing with problems like Yuko's.

"So, Yuko just has a major asthmatic problem?" Miyuki queried.

"Seems to be like it."

"But, I thought asthma wasn't too serious.."

"I guess it isn't, unless it is not treated and if she's not taken care of. Mika said that Yuko's parents never bothered about her.."

"Life must have been very harsh on her.. say! She slit her wrists, right here.." Miyuki noted, pointing at the girl's right hand. There was a deep cut on her wrist, which was probably an old scar. He knew Yuko must not have wanted to marry him. Besides, Yuko was just treated like an object. Tezuka felt very bad for Yuko. Since she had sacrificed a lot for him, he didn't want to disappoint her. Besides, he felt that he was falling for her. Her sapphire blue eyes, her comforting smile, it made Tezuka feel responsible to keep the smile there as long as he was by her side.

He felt like protecting the girl. She seemed more than just a normal female. She just seemed like.. Fuji. Fuji Syusuke, the man of his dreams, who had been going out with his twin sister. Ever since Fuji rejected him, he knew he had no chance to get back his attention. Besides, Tezuka wanted to avoid Fuji, afraid of being speechless or any awkward moments. He knew he could never be with Fuji anyway.

It was destined. He was meant to be rejected by Fuji Syusuke, who ends up with Tezuka's own sister. Then, he had to get drunk in the pub, and he had to have visions of Yuko. Then, all he had to do was fall for Yuko. At this moment, it was as simple as peas. But Tezuka didn't only feel like falling for Yuko. He felt like protecting her from harm, holding her, and caring for her the way a man would care for his loved one. The way Ryoma cared for Karupin, the way Fuji loved Miyuki, and the way Eiji wanted to protect Yuki.

Soon, most of the regulars came to visit Yuko. She was still unconscious, but alive. Tezuka gripped her hand tightly. _You'll be fine, Yuko. Don't leave me like this. I still have to repay your good deeds..

* * *

_

Yuko was in betweenlife and death. She never felt as scared as this in her whole life. She was surrounded by void. It was cold, and she was alone. She wanted to scream out for help, but no one listened.

"Give it up, Yuko. You're just going to marry that Tezuka boy. You're going to clear our debts, and we can go and enjoy life now!" Yuko's mother's voice rang in her ears. Her mother(in her dreamland) was cackling like any evil mother.

"Yes, Yuko. We're glad we have you. Now we can be free at last! Finally! We can have all the money to spend, thanks to you!" Yuko's dad's voice chimed. Yuko huddled and curled up into a ball.

"I don't want to listen to you. Stop it! Shut up!" Yuko yelled, but it didn't work. Her parents' voices were louder, and louder. Their voices were scolding her, bossing her around, controlling her life, and not bothering about her feelings. Yuko sobbed. She never felt this bad in her life.

From far, she envisioned a beautiful garden. It was full of multi-colored flowers, and there were voices of little kids laughing as they ran in the fields.

"Wouldn't it be nice if I was there.. I could run, as free as a bird, with not one worry on my mind, without any more pain to endure, without being bossed around," Yuko said to herself. She got up, and began walking towards the fields of joy. Her legs felt lighter when she drifted off. But before she could step into the garden, she could hear many voices.

"Yuko! Please be fine, you saved me from what I was, and I don't want you to suffer any more pain! All I want to do is return your deeds, it's that simple.. could you be a part of my life, and could you give me the honor to be by your side, like a man will, for his love?" Tezuka's voice echoed. She could hear many comforting and cheery voices in the distance. She smiled.

And finally, she opened her eyes.

* * *

Sorry minna! I just write cliffhangers. Bleh! But I don't know how long will this go on, I'm a strange author then again, I hope you enjoy this, and Merry Christmas! and a Happy New Year! 


	11. The Unexpected Visitor

Hmm, first of all I'd like to thank the readers! Sankyuu for your reviews, danya! Well, and for those who also read 'Down the Road', I MIGHT put an epilogue, just one more chapter before I finally consider that as done. Hmm, and for this fic, I'm not so sure either. It'll go on for quite some time.. and also I'd like to thank those who reviewed 'The Reason', thanks for your support! Well it's my first try at yaoi fics, and also one-shot fics too, so I may not be too good. And thanks to those who reviewed 'Fireworks'.

Hmm.. I don't know whether I can finish this fic in the first place, because I don't have the idea in my head. Besides that, schools here in Malaysia are going to start on Monday, and I doubt I can update when I start school, because this year(well, basically next year, but STILL!) is my exam year, year 9, which is Form 3 here, and there's a rather major exam for me. :( Anyway, I shall stop torturing you by being Shinji and I shall let you guys read my next chapter of 1000 Words. DA-NYA! Note : Tezuka will be as OOC as usual. gomen gomen!

Hmm.. eh and to Umi who reviewed 'Fireworks' > My country's not having fireworks too. Didn't check the paper ; then again.. haha

JadOo > hmm, sorry about no tezu. Hmm.. I should have stated this, but then again, Tezuka was in Germany during that time of the year. But I should have at least wrote that someone called him! LOL sorry sorry.

* * *

Tezuka had been crying. True, Tezuka never cried, even as a child. But this time, his tears just flowed out like a waterfall. Yuko had practically sacrificed her life for him, and at this moment, she's in a coma. Tezuka felt very guilty. Miyuki, Mika and her husband had let Tezuka have a moment alone with Yuko, seeing how sorrowful Tezuka felt.

As his tears trickled down his cheek and fell on Yuko's cheek, he felt her hand move slightly. He was astonished, and her hand was moving. Slowly, her eyes opened. _Am I seeing things?_ Tezuka thought.

"Yuko, Yuko, you're awake?" Tezuka whispered.

"Ah. Where am I?" Yuko questioned, coughing as she spoke.

"You're at the hospital. I'll explain everything later, I'll go and get the doctor," Tezuka said, getting up from the chair beside her bed and walked out of the door.

_Why are Tezuka's eyes so red? Was it just me, but was he crying?_ Yuko thought. Nah, it couldn't be. Tezuka was not the type of person who would cry over someone.

Tezuka noticed that he had been crying. He never cried, because crying showed all his weaknesses. Everyone wanted to see Tezuka's weaknesses, but he never showed them. But at this fragile moment, he just cried. He sobbed like a child who could never see daylight anymore. He felt as if there was no tomorrow.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he went and looked for the doctor.

"Doctor! Yuko is conscious now," Tezuka said to the doctor. He nodded his head, and asked Tezuka to wait in her room.

When Tezuka went back to Yuko's room, she smiled softly at him. He sat by her bedside and tousled her shoulder-length honey hair (A/N : Sorry if my description about Yuko has changed, I can't remember what I wrote her as. But for now, let's say she LOOKS like Fuji, since I wrote in the beginning that Tezuka liked Fuji. She will have.. err Fuji's brown hair and his blue eyes. Simple as that.).

"I'll be okay, Mitsu-chan. Don't worry about me," Yuko whispered in his ear. She didn't have enough breath to speak very loudly. After all, she was asthmatic. He blushed when she said his cute nickname, and soon retorted.

"Don't call me that."

"Alright alright, Kuni-chan!"

"Don't call me anything with a –chan! I'm not going to respond."

"Fine, Kunimitsu. Be that way," Yuko continued, turning away from Tezuka.

The doctor came and did a standard check-up on Yuko.

"Yuko is doing fine, just that.." the doctor said.

"That?"

"Actually, if you didn't know, the patient has been taking large amounts of steroids, namely corticosteroids, to try suppress her asthma. But somehow, she took too much of it, and that's mainly the reason why she lost consciousness."

"What?" Tezuka queried.

"Yes, the patient has been taking an over dosage of steroids, even though it can suppress her sickness. Luckily she only lost consciousness; some people who took over dosage of drugs have even died, and suffered major side effects. Doctors only give steroids if necessary, though."

"So, what can she do right now?" Tezuka asked, concerned.

"All she can do is, prevent taking those steroids, use the oral inhaler whenever necessary, and try to breathe normally. She must also avoid these things," the doctor said, handing a list of things that Yuko had to avoid to Tezuka.

"Thanks a lot, sensei. When can she be discharged from the hospital?"

"Right now, actually. Just get her to come for check-ups every week," the doctor said, giving Tezuka a chance to talk to Yuko.

"Yuko, how could you take so much drugs! It's not good for your health.."

"I just needed to make sure I could perform that day, Tezuka. I have been coughing so much, I couldn't even breathe!"

"You should have consulted the doctor!"

"Then he would have forced me to cancel the show!"

"Maaa, maa, stop fighting, futari domo.(translation : you two)" said a soft voice from the door. Fuji had come with Miyuki to visit Yuko. On his arms was a bouquet of flowers.

"Flowers for me! Thanks a lot, Fuji-kun," Yuko said, beaming at her visitors.

"We heard about Yuko's condition when the doctor was on the way out, nii-chan. Now, Yuko, why in the world would you take so much steroids? They're not good for health, and you could have died because of over dosage of drugs!" Miyuki said, sounding like a mother who was scolding her child who was playing in the middle of the road.

"Hoo-boy. Here we go again. We have many Shinjis here," Yuko muttered under her breath.

* * *

On that Wednesday morning(A/N : Not so sure about the time, bleah. Just randomly putting a date), Yuko woke up with a strong feeling that she was going to enjoy her day, leaving the depressing hospital. She got up from the bed and looked out the window, inhaling the fresh, crisp morning air. It was only 6 AM, but Yuko felt bursting with energy. _Tezuka would be coming anytime soon._Six in the morning. Boy, would Yuko be surprised! Tezuka was already at the lobby of the hospital. He bought a bouquet of roses for the girl, and also wrote a card for her. 

flashback, approximately a few hours ago

"Yawn. Nii-chan! What the hell are you doing up so early?" Miyuki queried. She was rubbing her eyes. Her brother was making quite an amount of noise in his room, which was next to Miyuki's.

"Just preparing for later."

"What's going on later? Oh. OH! I see. Wakata, wakata.(Translation : I understand, understood, bla)" Miyuki grinned. She took a sneak peek at the piece of paper that Tezuka was decorating in the middle of the morning. She thwacked his back, and he grunted in response.

end flashback

At that very moment, Tezuka Kunimitsu stood in front of his fiancée's room. His heart was racing, and so was his mind. He was never good in his communicating skills, he was quite a loner. He was worse in romance, he didn't even bother thinking about it. His constant stoic, serious personality never encountered a challenge like this before, and he was going to tackle it.

"You can do it, nii-chan! Just those mushy things you see in movies, quote them!" Miyuki's voice chimed in his mind. His sister had been trying to help Tezuka, but she was still no use.

"But the most important thing, it must be sincere, and it must come from the heart, nii-chan. What you really want her to know," her voice echoed.

This is the time. I can do this! 

Yuko heard the door creak, and she turned behind from the window. She was sitting by the window.

"You're early, Kunimitsu."

"So are you. Couldn't sleep?"

"Bingo. You?"

"Same as you," Tezuka took a chair and sat beside Yuko.

The both of them kept quiet for the next few minutes. Tezuka was not really good at starting conversations, and Yuko wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet. Finally, Tezuka knew he had to say something.

"We were looking out the window like this when we were younger, right?" Tezuka started. She smiled at him and nodded her head. Her soft brown hair, her comforting smile, her aquamarine orbs, they were just enticing.

"Yuko, here's a little gift for you."

"Ara! (Oh?) A gift for me? Thank you, Kunimitsu," Yuko got up and kissed the boy's cheek. His face turned to a shade of red for a moment, but then he stopped blushing, handing her a small box. When Yuko opened the box, she was surprised. Inside the box was a beautiful diamond ring, engraved 'Kunimitsu & Yuko' on the inside of the ring. 1

"But Kunimitsu, aren't we already engaged?"

"Yes, but you never had a ring."

"Thank you so much, Kunimitsu!" He caressed the girl's soft face, and soon he noticed his lips were locked with his fiancée's. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the kiss as much as he could. It was his first kiss, and it was HER first kiss as well. He always wanted to make his first kiss a special one, and it WAS special.

Soon, they stopped to inhale some air. They were both exhilarated; it was a good kiss. It was just a few days ago when Yuko was shopping with her to-be-sister-in-law, Miyuki. They walked past a jewelry shop, and Yuko was amazed at how beautiful the diamond ring was. Yuko wish she had it, but winced when she saw the price. 100000 yen. She definitely couldn't splurge on such things which weren't necessary.

Say, don't tell me Miyuki told Kunimitsu what I wanted..? 

"Eh, Kunimitsu, this is really expensive though.."

"The price doesn't matter, just as long as you like it." He gave her a soft smile.(YATTA! He did smile.)

"Thank you."

"Welcome."

"Could you put it on my finger?" Yuko asked, sticking out her finger. He slid that diamond ring carefully through her fourth finger, and she beamed at him.

"That means I must get a ring for you too!"

"No, it's a pair. I have one for myself," Tezuka said, showing his left hand to her. He also gave her a card he made himself. In joy, she hugged the usually emotionless boy. She sat on his lap, and chuckled slightly.

"Is there anything wrong?" Tezuka queried.

"No, not at all. Just wondering about things a few months ago.. we were wondering, or rather **I** was wondering how I was going to spend the rest of my life with a person I don't know," Yuko said, smiling. "But now I know I can."

Their moment together was interrupted by the arrival of a visitor. When Tezuka saw the visitor, he frowned. Yuko didn't know how to act, though, because their visitor was Atobe Keigo.

* * *

Cliffhangers, cliffhangers. Hopefully I can put up the next chapter soon enough, before everyone kills me for only updating after a year XD anyway, review if you want. Thankss 


	12. Farewell, and Goodbye

Once again, minna, thanks a lot for the reviews, I appreciate them! Bleah but right now, I can't connect to the internet. So erm, I don't know whethr anyone left a review. Eh so, here's the continuation. I must finish this soon. Because I'm going back to school TOMORROW. For one thing, I simply CANNOT kill Atobe because, er Atobe fans will kill me in return. And I know he has HORDES of fangirls. TT LOL but I like him chibi-fied. And his arrogance! It's just funny. Uh. This COULD be the last chapter. Then again, there MIGHT be an epilogue. NYA and when I mean TEZUKA, I mean Kunimitsu. Just too weird for me to type Kunimitsu.

And thanks to Am Loves Syusuke who pointed out that I made a huge error(um which I have changed.). "Tezuka, you lost to me once. You WILL **lost** to the great ore-sama again." LOLLLLLLLLL XDXD gomen to the readers. Thanks again, Am Loves Syusuke! huge typo. LOL which made it a grammatical error. Eh and a lot of grammatical errors! Um i have bad grammar. About 'He possibly wouldn't cheat on me', which is def. WRONG, hahaha. Thanks a lot, Am Loves Syusuke. I speak English everyday, but my grammar sucks. ; eh and I changed the part where 'he turned back, waiting to hear what else did Yuko want to say'. I changed it to 'he turned back, and waited to hear what else yuko wanted to say.' Sounds better eh? And Am Loves Syusuke corrected me again. Thanksss! And another one. 'Yuko went deep in thought.' Thanks to Am Loves Syusuke, once again, it's supposed to be 'Yuko went deep into thought.' Sounds better, right? Hahaha, thanks to her I OWE YOU BIG TIMEEE! Eh and she corrected my 'sumptuous' to 'scrumptious'. Hehe. THANKS. :)

* * *

Atobe entered the silent room, with Kabaji trailing behind.

"Kabaji! The flowers."

"Usu," Kabaji said, handing a bouquet of flowers to Yuko. She smiled gratefully, and gestured the two of them to take a seat. However, Atobe commanded Kabaji to sit outside, and Kabaji never retaliated his 'master'.

"That's nice of you to visit me, Keigo," Yuko said. She forced herself to smile somehow; because he was glaring at Tezuka. Tezuka was back to his old emotionless self; he only wanted to show his emotions to Yuko only.

"So, Tezuka, you're going to Germany?" Atobe asked, raising an eyebrow. He nodded his head.

"Yes. Yuko is coming with me as well. We were just discussing about it just now," Tezuka continued, looking at his fiancée. She grinned, and nodded her head. This time, Atobe stood up.

"Tezuka, you lost to me once. You WILL lose to the great ore-sama again. Yuko doesn't want to marry you, doesn't want to be your fiancée, and all the more doesn't want to go to Germany with you. Right, Yuko?" he said, smirking. He clutched Yuko's hand tightly. She tried to wriggle free, but his grip on her was tight. She used her other hand to shove Atobe's hand away. Startled, Atobe let his grip on Yuko loosen. She didn't seem to like it.

"Manners, please, Keigo. Aren't you aware that I, in fact, AM engaged to Kunimitsu?" she said, irritated. She lifted up her left hand, and Keigo saw that. That glimmering diamond ring that shone even without the help of a spotlight. He bit his bottom lip, but then smirked as usual. HE was the great Atobe. He didn't need Yuko for his life to be perfect. In fact, it was even perfect, without Yuko.

"Well, suit yourself then. I'll be off now. Take care. Kabaji, let's go," Atobe scoffed in his usual arrogant tone.

"Usu," said the bigger, muscular boy, opening the door for his 'master'. Atobe turned back and smirked at the two, and continued walking off.

* * *

"Ano, Kunimitsu.." Yuko started. Her blue eyes darted towards the boy.

"Did you mean it when you said I was going to go Germany with you?"

"Why not? It would be an experience. You might like it there."

"B-but.."

"However, it is up to you. It would be easier for you to stay here though. I'm just afraid you're not used to their language, culture, and the surroundings."

"Eh.. but if you need me to go, I will!" Yuko said, now her face full of concern towards her fiancé.

"Well, why don't you give me your decision this evening during dinner?" Tezuka commented, before being cut off by the sound of his handphone beeping. He had received a SMS.

Don't forget about our meeting, Tezuka!

-Ryuzaki-sensei

"Sorry, but I have to go now. I'm supposed to meet Ryuzaki-sensei soon," Tezuka said, trailing off.

"Go, then! Take care, Kunimitsu. Oh, and one thing," Yuko said, turning to the hazel-eyed boy. He turned back, and waited to hear what else Yuko wanted to say.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Now, be a good girl and take care."

"I will! Bye."

The room was filled with silence. Then, Yuko went deep into thought. Should she go to Germany? But, what if he needed her badly? Instead, what if she was bothering him during therapy? There was no need for her to go all the way to Germany just to tend to his needs. He should be well taken care of in Germany.

So, Yuko made her decision. However, she needed more opinions. She checked her watch, hoping that she wouldn't be disturbing any of her friends when asking for their opinions.

_9 AM. Surely everyone wouldn't be a lazy pig and still be sleeping till this time!_

However, Yuko was wrong. Mika had been in slumberland when she called her house.

"Ara(eh), who's this?" Mika asked groggily. She definitely had a late night last night.

"It's me, Yuko!" Yuko said cheerily. She told Mika her full story, including the ring, and also about Tezuka asking her whether she wanted to go to Germany with him.

"Ah, you're so lucky, Yuko! It was so sweet for Tezuka-kun to give you a DIAMOND ring! You MUST let me see it some day. And about going to Germany, I'm not so sure. It's so far away! We'll definitely miss you over here," Mika said. She seemed more like her elder sister.

"But, do you think Kunimitsu will need me to tend to him? After all, he has SO many people attending to him already! His trainer, the nurses.."

"Nurses? Hmm. Better keep an eye out on your Mitsu-CHAN," Mika teased. She chuckled lightly.

"Nah, Kunimitsu wouldn't dare! Must have taken him a lot of his courage to even hand me that ring. He possibly wouldn't cheat on me!" Yuko assured Mika. Mika agreed with her; that was the coldest person she ever met.

"Since there are a lot of people who can take care of him, and since you trust him, I think it would be more convenient for you to stay here. Besides, there's this modern item known as the computer, Internet, phone, and the aeroplane, if he decides to come back for a short break."

"You're right. And, I DO know such things exist, Mika-nee-chan."

"Fine then! Eh, Taka is calling me for breakfast! Ja ne!" Mika said, before hanging up on Yuko. However, Yuko needed more than ONE opinion. Therefore, she decided to call Miyuki.

Miyuki was never known for her eagerness to face the next morning. She would sleep until noontime, and obviously sleep at 3 in the morning. However, Yuko totally forgot how her friends were. She forgot that they were nocturnal; living during nighttime, and asleep during the day.

Then, her darned handphone ran. _Kuso._(shit)_ Who would be calling so early in the morning? Aah, I couldn't be stuffed._ Miyuki thought, canceling the call. However, the caller persisted on waking Miyuki up. Finally, after canceling 10 calls, she gave up, and answered the phone, half-asleep.

"HEY. What do you want? I was having a nice dream, dammit!" Miyuki said, annoyed. In fact, her 'nice' dream wasn't that nice actually. She dreamt that it was someone calling her non-stop, and it wasn't sweet at all.

"Eh, Miyuki? You're still asleep? You shouldn't sleep in until so late! Definitely not good for health!" Yuko nagged.

"Yuko? A-ah gomen. Um, yeah. What's that so important that you needed to call ELEVEN times?" Miyuki asked. There must be something up. Yuko wouldn't call ELEVEN times for nothing. Yuko told the whole story to Miyuki, and also about Tezuka asking her to go to Germany.

"Hahaha, I knew you'd LOVE the ring."

"I bet you tipped him off. How much did you charge him, as commission?"

"Hey! He ASKED what you liked. Why can't I be good girl and tell my brother what his fiancée wants so much? Ah, and I didn't charge him commission. But I should have! Thanks for reminding me. The next time I see him, I'll ask him for 3000 yen," Miyuki said, giggling.

"HEY! That's highway robbery. And I won't let you get away with it!" Yuko said, mockingly. Miyuki was just so funny.

"You work as a part-time policewoman? Oh, and CORRECTION. It's not highway robbery. It's called 'younger-sister-asking-brother-for-some-dough'. Eh, and about going to Germany? That would be freaking cool. I wanna go too!"

"Your head. I'm asking you, should I go or not? There will be a lot of people taking care of him there.. and I know he won't two-time me over there. Must have taken him a lot of guts to even hand me that ring."

"Hahaha, actually, it IS true, he will be well-fed and taken care of. You don't need to worry. And YES, he was practicing with the mirror in the toilet on how to hand you that ring. At first, he asked me, but I said, it would be a lot better to do so with the mirror, because it won't throw him back with silly answers."

"Hmm.. thanks anyway. I'll think about it. Ja ne!" Yuko said, cutting the line. She then called Yuki for her opinion, who simply said that Yuko should stay in Japan. They would even save on airfare, accommodation and food. Then, Yuko finally made her decision.

* * *

That evening..

"And that's why I think I needn't go to Germany with Kunimitsu. He'll be fine, right, Mitsu-CHAN?" Yuko teased. Everyone on the dining table laughed, except for Tezuka. Tezuka's face turned to a shade of pink for a moment, and then his stoic face remained as stony as usual.

"Don't call me that. You're sure you don't want to go?" Tezuka asked once again. Yuko shook her head, smiling. Then, they ceased all conversations and enjoyed Yuko's culinary skills.

* * *

It had been many, many weeks since Yuko's terrible asthma attack. She often went for check-ups, sometimes accompanied by the worried Tezuka, or if he was busy, Miyuki would take Yuko to the hospital. Yuko's condition got better because she knew she couldn't risk her life anymore. Life was precious.

On **that** morning when Yuko woke up, she looked at the calendar, crossing out another day. Then, she noticed the note on that morning. It merely said : Mitsu-chan leaves for Germany. :( Yuko heaved a deep sigh, but she knew that day would come. It was heartaching for her to part from her loved one, but sometimes she just had to let him go. It was for his good too. He had a future in tennis, and she couldn't stop him from treating his arm, which had ruined his career, until they found out it could be healed. It was winter, and she gazed out at the window. _It's snowing._

Yuko dressed and drowned herself in her thoughts. _Was it right for me to not go to Germany? Should I go there? But then, it's already too late to make such a decision. Besides, Kunimitsu's going to be fine, and I know it._

She went downstairs to prepare breakfast, and decided to make unagi for Kunimitsu. _I doubt there are many Japanese restaurants in Germany, and besides, their cooking cannot be as good as the cooking in Japan. Oh. And there's that eel! Yatta! _(yes!)

Once again, Yuko stunned the Tezuka family with her new dish : the Kunimitsu-chan special. Tezuka cringed at the sound of his cute nickname. Sigh, she never understood that he needed his pride. It was unagi simmered in some special broth, and served with rice.

After their scrumptious and satisfying meal, Tezuka reminded his family members that he needed to head to the airport. Oishi and Ryuzaki-sensei was already at the Tezuka residence to pick him up to send him to the airport. Tezuka's father was already at work, and his grandfather just said 'goodbye' before tending to his needy bonsai plants. Tezuka's mother thought of following Tezuka, but then she had a household to run. Miyuki was still asleep; as usual. However, Yuko insisted on following Tezuka. It was the last time she was going to see him in a long time.

So, the four of them clambered into Ryuzaki-sensei's car. They headed off to the international terminal. After checking in, Tezuka was talking to Oishi, his team's vice-captain, and also to his team's coach, Ryuzaki-sensei.

"Flight JL0011, heading to Frankfurt is now ready for boarding through gate C20," blared the loudspeaker. Tezuka knew it was finally time for him to leave his home country to a foreign place he knew nothing of. However, it was Tezuka Kunimitsu you were talking about, the perfectionist. Obviously, he had done a lot of research, and also went for German classes and spoke like a German himself.

After bidding goodbyes to Oishi and Ryuzaki-sensei, he turned to Yuko. Her blue orbs gazed at him meaningfully.

"Yuko. Take care. I'll miss you, oh, and.."

"And?" Yuko asked, hoping to hear the three words she had been waiting for.

"I love you," Tezuka said, hugging her. It was a public place; he couldn't kiss her right in front of everyone.

"Don't forget to e-mail me! And also, call me! Tell me how things are in Germany. It's really far away, Kunimitsu. You need to take care, alright? I'll be waiting for you."

"I'll be back very soon. Don't you worry. Anyway, I'd better catch my flight right now. Sayonara."

"Sayonara, Kunimitsu. I love you."

Yuko saw her love go into the gate, and onto the Boeing 747-400 headed to Frankfurt, Germany.

_I love you, Kunimitsu, and I always will.

* * *

_

Um, yeah. That kind of an ending I did. Don't worry, there will be an epilogue. . Well you could guess what it would be. Um, happy ending! Don't worry. Hahaha. I couldn't kill any one of them! Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed it. Thanks for the reviews, I DO enjoy reading them. owari. For now. Eh but I will take quite some time to upload the epilogue, school has started and my homework is piling up. TT


	13. Epilogue : 'Til Death Do Us Part

I'm being good girl and putting up the 1000 Words epilogue. It WOULD be my last input at for the beginning half of '05. Hopefully I'll continue writing fanfics after my Form 3(Year 9) exams? Hahaha. Oh well. Enjoy. Eh, and I don't know which part of Germany Tezuka ended up in, but let's just say Frankfurt. LOL it is fanFICTION after all. Sorry if this update took a long time, but let's just say, I just started school on the 3rd, and I already have homework piling up. Aaah, listening to Tezuka's song, Mighty Wing, from his new album, is HEAVENLY. XD

I'd just like to tell everyone that I've got a beta-reader, who is the great Am Loves Syusuke-chan. Hahahaha! Um yeah, I haven't got a beta-reader, honestly. Until now, when I decided it'd be safer if my fanfic was read by someone who would correct my silly mistakes. anyway, ehh enjoy! Just want to credit her for her hard work

Once again, I shall warn you of OOCness, especially in Tezuka. Let's just say he only shows his true feelings to Yuko. Oh uhm, there is a slight RyoSaku in the fic.

* * *

Yuko's life after Tezuka left for Germany

Time flew very quickly for Kiritani Yuko. Being apart from her loved one made life tough. It seemed even harder than her asthma. Speaking of that, she finally grew out of that disease. (A/N: Yup, that happens. Right? Right. Because I have friends who have grown out of asthma. Er, and I've heard tales of that. Hahaha, but I didn't really do research.) Phone calls, e-mails and instant messaging couldn't replace the sight and voice of Tezuka Kunimitsu. True, she could have used a web cam and microphone to hear and see Tezuka, but then again, she would rather see him in person.

He came back every year around New Year, to celebrate that festival with his family. Besides, the therapy center in Germany was closed because of the festivities that were held. He called Yuko everyday too, and if not, he would be conversing with her on instant messenger.

Finally, Tezuka came back from Germany for good. On that day, which was exactly 2 years since he left for Germany, Yuko had decided to see his stone face again (although he showed emotions when he was alone with her). She was 17, and had gotten her driver's license. So did Tezuka, apparently. He took an international driving license, and that permitted him to drive in the streets of Japan as well. Yuko had bought a car to pamper herself with. It was tiny, cute, and yet big enough to fit five people.

She drove to the airport, glad to be able to see Tezuka again. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen him for ages, but she only saw him for a short while. This time, she could gaze, stare and admire his features as long as she liked.

She greeted him at the airport with a big hug. He wouldn't kiss in public, and she understood that- something about 'to keep up with his reputation of being emotionless'. Whatever it was, kissing was a no-no in public. At least they could kiss in private, right? Something was better than nothing.

Tezuka went to university to study Economics and Accounting (A/N: I could never see him as a lawyer or a doctor, so let's say he took over his dad's company, neh?). Yuko obviously followed him to university, taking Culinary Skills as her field of study. (A/N: Um, I heard that there was a Hotel Management course, which probably has something to do with cooking. But then again, let's just make up this course. ) They both graduated after a number of years.

Tezuka still played tennis while studying, and had finally decided to go for tournaments. At the raw age of 20, Tezuka had gained many trophies, and he had won all those tournaments as easy as ABC. His trophies were piling up, and he had filled two cabinets already. He could defeat veterans, but there was one opponent that he was eager to play against:, Ryoma Echizen. Yes, Ryoma Echizen, the first-year in Seigaku, who had become Seigaku's pillar of support (A/N: um, Tezuka gave him that title, right? LOL). Tezuka was eager to see how Ryoma had turned out to be. He hadn't seen him since those Seishun days.

He kept in touch with most of his old friends, namely Oishi, and also Fuji. They did organize get-togethers, when he came back during those Christmas and New Year breaks. Everyone had missed their old buchou, who gave laps to anyone who slacked, or anyone who created chaos and disrupted practice. Actually, Tezuka had given laps to anyone who had pissed him off, too. No one could ever forget that.(A/N : Uh, Am says that never happened, and it's true. Just to simply make this fic longer LOL)

* * *

5 years later (5 years after Tezuka turned 20)

Tezuka had something important to announce to his fiancée. After work, he quickly rushed off to the restaurant that they were supposed to rendezvous. It was a small foreign restaurant by the seaside, which promised good views and a romantic ambience. Tezuka knew it was perfect for the occasion.

Yuko, on the other hand, had to leave her restaurant in the hands of her fellow colleagues. She had opened a restaurant after completing her course, and it was not very far from the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Tezuka. She told him that it would be cool if he thought of going to her restaurant, but he insisted that they were to meet at another exclusive and prestigious restaurant.

When Yuko arrived at the restaurant, Tezuka was already there, prepared. Their table was outside on the Tokyo Harbor. They had a good view, and they could see the nightlights on the other side of the harbor. Tokyo was a humongous city, and it was a busy city.

"Hey, Yuko," Tezuka greeted, hugging the girl. She smiled in return, and took a seat. He sat facing her. The waitress handed the couple their menus and waited for them to order.

After placing their orders, Tezuka finally had the chance to talk.

"Yuko, how long have we been engaged?" Tezuka asked. (A/N : True, he wouldn't exactly begin a conversation, but we KNOW he needs to talk, to convey his message.)

"Hmm, let me count. About ten years? What made you ask that question anyway?"

"That's a long time."

"Uh, yeah. Now get to your point, Kunimitsu! What made you ask that question?" Tezuka smiled (so he did,) and took out a tiny box.

"A present for me! Thank you, Kunimitsu!" Yuko exclaimed. She opened the box, and was surprised to see another diamond ring in it. However, this diamond ring was even more intricate, with more diamonds. _Wow. This must have cost Kunimitsu a bomb!_

"I-It's beautiful, Kunimitsu," Yuko commented, wiping the tears that had gathered in her eyes. She had finally remembered; it was the anniversary of the day they first met, at the bar. Tezuka knew the date of when they first met because he had been writing in his diary, about how his life was.

"I'll put it on for you, Yuko," Tezuka offered, taking her hand and gently slid the ring through her fourth finger. Yuko beamed. She had never been this happy in her life. True, when she first found out that she had to marry Tezuka, she was rather upset, because at that time, she had fallen for Atobe Keigo. However, one can change, right? At that very moment, her heart belonged to Tezuka Kunimitsu.

Tezuka purposely chose that restaurant because he had prepared everything for the special night. No, he wasn't only going to give her a ring, he was going to do something even more special, and hopefully she would appreciate it. He wanted her to be the happiest bride in the world, and for that, Tezuka Kunimitsu would do anything.

Yuko noticed that her fiancé had been having eye contact with someone behind her. _Don't tell me it's a waitress that he's interested in. He can't let me down at this moment, when I'm so in love with him._ Tezuka nodded his head, and they heard some music.

"Eh? Tezuka, what's this?" Yuko asked, puzzled. Soon, she heard someone sing.

"Kimi no kotoba wa, yume no yasashisa kana? Uso wo zenbu, oikakushiteru, zurui yo ne.

Tabidatsu kimi ni......Sameta senaka misete, Kiiteita yo.......Hitori tatakau no?

ZURUI yo ne."1

"Oh my god. T-that's..." Yuko stammered, thinking back to her previous days.

"Sen no kotoba (a thousand words)," Tezuka said, smiling at his bride-to-be.

Yuko was at a loss for words. She got up from her chair, went to Tezuka, and kissed him. So much for 'Tezuka's reputation of not showing affection in public'. Yuko couldn't care less. Everyone kissed in the streets anyway. Besides, she was on cloud nine. She needed to thank Tezuka.

"Hehe, you must be up to something Kunimitsu! There's just something behind all this, right?" Yuko said, sitting back on her seat.

"Uh, I really don't know how to say this to you..uhh, we've been engaged for so long.."

"Don't tell me you want to break up right now, do you?"

"No, no! Uhh, just wanted to ask you if I could be honored to take your hand in.. marriage," Tezuka said, looking away. Yes, that was typically Tezuka, who had a hard time trying to say that sentence. He was afraid to look Yuko in the eye, and he was definitely afraid that she was going to reject his offer.

When Tezuka looked away, Yuko didn't think that he was insincere. He was just being embarrassed and shy, and Yuko knew that very well. She grinned at him.

"Mitsu-chan, you're just soooo cute when you blush! Well, okay then! We have to start preparing already!" Yuko said, laughing. Tezuka smiled back at his wife-to-be; she was as jovial as usual, even when it came to trivial matters like these.

* * *

The Tezuka family was very busy preparing for the marriage of Kunimitsu, the only son of Kuniharu (A/N: or was it Kunikazu? I think Kunikazu is the name of Kunimitsu's grandpa) and Ayana Tezuka.

The regulars of Seishun Gakuen's Tennis Club were definitely invited. After all, they were Tezuka's only friends, unless you counted his colleagues in the office. They too, had been invited, but Yuko made sure that each and every one of the Seigaku Tennis Club regulars attended the wedding.

It wasn't long ago when Fuji himself had married Miyuki, after a long time of courting and chocolates and necklaces for Valentine's Day. Miyuki also helped prepare the wedding; by shopping with Yuko for the suitable wedding gown. Tezuka had just gotten himself a simple tuxedo, which was necessary for the day.

Eiji, upon receiving the letter, had called everyone he knew, getting them all to come. Their **stoic**, **emotionless** and **stony** captain was getting married. How could they even miss it? At first, Ryoma and Kaidoh couldn't care less, but **somehow** Eiji got them to go. In Ryoma's case, Eiji said he would treat Ryoma to a sushi buffet at Kawamura's (the boy never lost his love for food); and for Kaidoh, Eiji said that he would get him a cat. (A/N: Mind the weirdness. LOL I just had to write that.)

There was a lot to prepare:; namely the guests list, the venue, and much more. They were going to have a traditional tea ceremony in the Tezuka's residence (A/N: I'm not a Japanese, so I'm not so sure about these ceremony things, but let's just say there's a tea ceremony before the girl enters a family). Besides that, they were also going to exchange rings in the church nearby.

Finally, THAT day came.

* * *

Yuko was excited that morning. She was going to marry Tezuka; the person she had been loving for ten years. Despite having to go through Tezuka being overseas, she was alright with it. Modern communication systems solved every problem.

When she had to serve tea to her elders, namely Tezuka's grandfather, she was quite afraid that she might screw up everything and ruin the whole event. Tezuka could see and read Yuko like a book, and he knew she was afraid. He held her hand reassuringly, looking at her eye to eye, with a smile spread across his face. She smiled back in return.

Luckily, the events went on as planned, and everything ran smoothly. Now, the next thing was going to the church and have the usual marriage procedure. Yuko quickly changed into her gown and rushed into the car.

Yuko was very thrilled about the fact that she was going to walk down the aisle. Arm in arm with her father (who had obviously been invited. Her mother was also invited for the event, of course), she was going to face the person she could never imagine loving, but it was just that simple.

She could recognize almost everyone who turned up for her wedding. The Seigaku Tennis Club regulars were definitely there. The ichinen trio, who had obviously grown up into such fine young men (with the exception of Horio, he still brags about having 2 years of experience, in work, in this case). Tomoka and Sakuno were also there, and they could never forget to invite Ryuzaki-sensei herself. She was proud that Tezuka was finally getting married (it was a miracle to her; she thought that even though with his good looks, he would never get hooked because he would never be in contact with anyone, let alone with the opposite gender). Besides Miyuki, Yuko also made sure her other two girl friends, Yuki and Mika, had turned up for this spectacular event.

Her mother was also proud of her, and she was glad she had made the right choice for her daughter (which was forcing her to marry someone she didn't like, and it turned out that they both liked each other in the end). Yuko felt quite bitter seeing her parents, but she had no choice. They were her parents, anyway. Despite her hatred towards them for planning her life and not letting her have any say in it, she still loved them. Besides, if they never existed, she would never have existed as well.

Finally, the time came for Yuko to walk down the aisle. In her long peach gown, she was holding her father's hand. Her father had a tear-stained face. Even though they never gave her any freedom, she knew clearly how much her parents had loved her.

Yuko's father ushered her to the altar and left her there. Tezuka took Yuko's hand gently, and they were facing the priest.

"We are all gathered here on this very day to witness the wedding of Tezuka Kunimitsu and Kiritani Yuko. Tezuka Kunimitsu, do you take this woman, Kiritani Yuko, as your lawfully wedded wife?" the priest said.

"I do."

"And Kiritani Yuko, do you take Tezuka Kunimitsu as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." Yuko said, beaming as she looked at her husband.

"Are there any objections?" the priest queried. No one responded. "I now declare Tezuka Kunimitsu and Kiritani Yuko as man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Tezuka gazed into Yuko's blue orbs. He leaned forward, and they kissed gently. They were now officially married.

* * *

The both of them walked out of the church aisle slowly. She threw her bouquet of roses to the crowd, and Ryuzaki Sakuno had caught it. She was blushing, and Yuko knew that her feelings towards Echizen Ryoma were undeniable.

"Hahaha, we're finally married, after so many years," Yuko told Tezuka. He nodded his head in agreement. They got into the wedding car, and they were ready to live the next phase of their lives.

* * *

So yeah, the epilogue! I tell you, it's pretty lame, especially the ending! TT uhh yeah. I didn't know how to end it! So I hope you enjoyed the fic, and please leave a review if you feel like it! And if I may repeat myself, THANKS A LOT AM-CHAAAAN! 


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